Unknown Guest
by Loie
Summary: Edward wants to invite someone else to the wedding, but who? He and Bella travel to Chicago to meet this mystery guest and Bella must decide if he or she can come. They then end up tangled in a mess of wedding chaos and other vampire-related stuff!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters.**

July 13: exactly one month away from the wedding. I sat down at the Cullens' never-used dining room table. In front of me was a large stack of fancy invitations. I sighed, remembering the painful afternoon a few months ago helping Angela with her letters for graduation. My hand still hadn't fully recovered.

"Honestly, Alice, I don't know why I'm here. Your handwriting is so much nicer than mine and you will finish much faster without me," I complained.

I felt a pair of cold stony arms wrap around my waist.

"I thought you wanted to monitor who is invited so Alice does not ask the whole town," Edward's velvet voice teased in my ear.

I sighed, not being able to fight him. I turned around in my chair to face him. His mouth pulled into my favorite crooked smile, but his topaz eyes looked wary. Something was on his mind.

"I thought I could trust you to carry out my bidding," I challenged. "I'll do it, but I need some pre-payment first." I smiled at him slyly. I craned my neck toward him. He leaned in and pressed his stone cold lips against mine in a soft kiss.

I heard Alice in the background clear her throat to break us up.

"We need to get going. I don't want to be rushed doing this. It's supposed to be a memorable and exciting time for you, Bella. Another human memory."

I gave her a stern look. She and Edward were constantly making sure that I lived the rest of my human life to the fullest. They just didn't understand that I just wanted to be with Edward forever.

We went through Alice's list of guests that she had on a very long piece of paper. She really did want to invite everyone in Forks. I gave in to most, but some I had to refuse. Some people like the grocery store cashier, Ms. Davis, I just didn't know that well. Weddings should not have unfamiliar guests.

Alice looked up from her list hesitantly. "Bella, should we invite the Blacks? It's completely up to you."

My throat suddenly tightened up. I could feel the blood rising up my cheeks. I had tried not to think about Jacob Black since I said good-bye to him. I could feel myself stop breathing. I didn't know if either of us could handle him being there and I couldn't bear to put him through pain again. If we sent him an invitation, he would feel obliged to go. I could not do that to him.

"Bella, are you alright?" Edward asked, hugging me again. He tilted up my chin, forcing me to look at him, which I had avoided doing while thinking of Jake. I didn't want to make Edward feel guilty again either.

Why did I always hurt the ones I love most?

I finally worked up the courage to look into Edward's eyes. I saw concern in them, but also guilt for bring up the subject of Jacob.

"Umm….I don't think we should invite Jake," I answered, my voice quivering. I felt the heat of another blush coming again.

"Okay, Bella," Alice reassured with a confident voice as she scratched the name of her list once.

Her mouth pulled into a smirk. "How about Mike Newton?" She asked teasingly.

"No!" I yelled immediately after she said his name. A shiver ran down me as I pictured Mike at the wedding.

Edward chuckled. "I would say that is a definite decision." His eyes were twinkling, but there was a hint of worry behind them. He was hiding something. I was sure of it.

At least he and Alice managed to lighten the mood. I did want to enjoy myself, especially since those two have been watching my every move since the battle against Victoria and her army of newborn vampires. I owed it not only to myself, but to them. They were happy when I was happy, most of all Edward.

What seemed like an eternity later, Alice reached the bottom of her list.

"Well, we're finished. Unless you are thinking of someone else to invite, Bella? Maybe any of your friends from Phoenix?" Alice looked at me, hoping that she could send another one of her frilly letters.

She must have known my answer because she looked only a little disappointed when I said no. She did not give me the complete puppy dog face.

"How about you, Edward? Did you want to ask someone not on the list?" She seemed more expectant and then I knew what was on Edward's mind. He wanted to invite an extra person.

"Not now, Alice," he growled. He gave her a warning look and his eyes darkened with anger.

"Do you want to invite someone, Edward? Who?" I asked innocently as I could without sounding too suspicious, which I was.

Could it be Tanya? She was not on the guest list. I never met her, but she still intimidated me. Apparently she still had an eye for Edward, which got me very jealous. I instantly was filled with fear of competition.

"Relax, Bella. Breathe," Edward whispered soothingly in my ear. I forgot to do that again.

Alice still looked at Edward expectantly. She made his secret obvious and left no way for him to delay him telling me. He sighed and threw Alice a dangerous glance that promised her that he would talk to her later, or rather scold.

"I need to ask you a request, love." His eyes were wary, afraid of what I would say.

"What?"

"I do wish to invite someone to the wedding who you have not have the pleasure of meeting," he said hesitantly. "I have known her for almost her whole life and she will be very disappointed if she does not meet you." He was talking quickly now, as if saying it faster will make the words less meaningful.

Oh, God. _Her_. Another girl. Another vampire out to win Edward. All the blood drained from my face. I started shaking in the chair.

"Calm down, Bella," his velvet voice pleaded. "It's not what you think. Trust me, it would be strange if it was at all _near_ that. She's just a friend. In my opinion, she's more like a little sister."

He gathered me in his arms and cradled me in his lap in another one of his fast, smooth movements, stroking my cheek reassuringly. He wiped my involuntary tears that were leaking out of my eyes.

I hugged him as hard as I could, breathing in his heady scent, which calmed me.

"So, you want to invite her? To the wedding?" I asked, my voice shaking from the rush of emotion.

"No, no, Bella. That wouldn't be fair to you. That decision is entirely your choice." He sighed and looked right into my eyes, pleading. "What I ask is that you meet her and see for yourself if she should be there on our special day." He smiled apologetically.

The thought of meeting another vampire got me even more nervous. How could I refuse her to come if I didn't like her. She was obviously more...everything than me. She would automatically have her way. I would be too scared to say otherwise.

"W-where?" I managed to say. I had to do this for him. The expression on his face told me that he really wanted us to meet.

"In Chicago."

My eyes widened at his answer. Chicago was Edward's hometown, where he spent his human life. It was also far away. I expected him to say some place like Seattle or Olympia.

He must have noticed my reaction because he added, "But we don't have to go if you don't want to. You don't have to meet her. She just won't be invited."

I thought of this prospective easy way out and almost agreed to it. But then I remembered that Edward did not have that many personal ties to anyone, vampire or human. I owed it to him to at least give this girl, whoever she was, a try. I could say no if I wanted to...I hoped.

"No. I'll go and meet her. When do we leave?" I deliberately looked up and stared confidently in his beautiful topaz eyes so he wouldn't question my decision.

He stared back at me, searching my face for any hint of uncertainty. He apparently found none and smiled widely.

"We leave in three days and will be staying for two nights."

I was only slightly reassured by the eager expression that spread across his face. I smiled back weakly.

**A/N: Please review and I will love you forever! Tell me the good, the bad, and the ugly. I love constructive critcism! ;)**

**--Loie**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight and/or its characters. What I would give for it, though…**

Breaking the news to Charlie wasn't as bad as I had planned. He still eyed us reproachfully when Edward mentioned that we would be staying for two nights. Luckily, he did not give me another sex talk. I guessed that he finally gave in to the idea that I was getting married soon enough and that it entitled Edward and I to do whatever we wanted.

Unfortunately, I knew that nothing was going to happen. I didn't think that this trip would be the right time or place. I could always hope, though.

For the next three days, I tried to wheedle as much information about this mystery girl in Chicago. I only knew that she was a girl and she lived around that area. Edward was being very elusive about her identity, saying that it would be a surprise while giving me a secret smile and a kiss to my forehead.

"But Edward, you know that I hate surprises," I complained we were lying in my bed the day after he told me about my mystery guest. The next two days were going to torture me. Even though we were leaving in two days, we would not arrive in Chicago until 7:30 at night. When I had asked him why, he laughed, saying that it was custom, whatever that meant, and that the weather was most unpredictable over there.

Before he started to sing me my lullaby that would make me forget and fall asleep, I continued. "Could you tell me her name and age, at least?" I tried to sound as pleading and alluring as possible. I was still well aware of his weakness: my begging.

Sure enough, conflict flickered across his face.

"Bella, don't do this to me. You know how tempting you can be," my angel groaned.

Sensing his impaired defense, I kept at my attack. I wrapped my arms around his marble neck and whispered in his ear. "Please? Just a name and an age? Surely that won't spoil the surprise."

But it would spoil the anxiety that was building up in me ever since he revealed her gender. Just the thought of another competitor for Edward's heart made me shiver and cling to him even tighter. I didn't care that he constantly proclaimed his love for me. Jealousy was jealousy.

Edward's head moved so that my lips were not at his ear, but at his mouth. I instantly knew what he was trying to do. If he kissed me I would forget everything that I was working for. Just the scent of his breath so close and concentrated started to make me forgetful. I had to muster every ounce of effort to pull away and resist the temptation.

Instead I reached for his neck, covering it with butterfly kisses. "Please?" I muttered against his stone cold skin.

I could feel his whole body relaxing in defeat. Victory was mine.

He pulled me away from him, his perfect brow puckered. "You are the most tempting and seductive creature I have ever met, Bella Swan."

I grinned at him in triumph. I was finally getting some answers.

Edward still had that serious look on his face. "I am only telling you this, Bella: Her name is Marjorie Brady. She is sixteen years old. And no, she did not have any interest in me." Disturbance flashed though his eyes, as if the very thought was repulsive. His face softened and his lips pulled into my favorite crooked smile. He bent down and kissed my hair as he hugged me close. "She's very excited to finally meet you. I don't want to spoil her fun by telling you everything."

A wave of relief swept through me. _She doesn't want him. _That fact was music to my ears. I no longer felt that I was preparing myself for a battle between this Marjorie for Edward. He was mine.

But I had one more question for him, before I gave into his intoxicating scent and kisses. "How long?"

"Hmm?" Edward murmured as he glided his nose along my collarbone.

"How long has she been sixteen?" I asked tentatively, bracing myself for the worst answer possible.

I could feel him shake as he chuckled. "Not a chance. I promised her that I would leave all the story telling that I could until we are in Chicago."

Uh-oh. That was not the answer I was looking for.

Edward notice the change in my body as stress flowed through me. He looked up at me and his eyes smoldered unfairly. I was putty in his hands. "Now Bella, it is time for you to sleep."

He took my face in his cold hands and pressed his lips against mine. I wound my arms around his neck, pulling him closer. He grew more urgent in the kiss with one hand leaving my cheek and pressing me too him tightly around my waist. I had to pull away for air, wishing for the time when I would not have to worry about oxygen. His breathing was just as ragged as mine, but his topaz eyes still smoldered with excitement.

Edward pulled me closer to him and whispered in my ear, "Go to sleep now, Bella." He then sang my lullaby in his angel's voice. His arms wrapped around me in a protective shield of living stone.

"I love you, Edward Cullen. More than you can imagine," I told him as I drifted towards unconsciousness.

"I love you, Bella Swan. You are my everything," he replied in my ear.

I fell asleep in my lover's arms, his voice staying with me through the night.

**A/N: Please review. I want to know how I can make this better. Thanks again to my three reviewers. As for the rest of you, I want your advice!**

**--Loie**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: In another world I own Twilight. Just not in this one.**

The next day, I set my mind to find out as much about Marjorie as I could. Edward went hunting, which gave me a good few hours to interrogate the remaining Cullens. This was the first time I was remotely pleased that he would be gone. Edward did not want to take any chances while we were in Chicago, even though his eyes were only a dark butterscotch.

I drove to the Cullens' house right after Edward left, not wanting to waste any time. I thought to ask Alice first, since she could see Edward's future actions. Surely she must know all about Marjorie.

I walked right in the house, not needing an invitation to enter. The Cullens made it clear that their door was always open to me.

"Alice?" I called, even though anyone in the house already heard me come in.

"Hi Bella!" a soprano voice greeted from the top of the stairs. She ran down to kiss me on the cheek in welcome. "I saw you coming," she added as she tapped her temple.

"And I guess you already know why I'm here," I sighed. So much for surprising her. She probably planned what to say so nothing would leak out.

Her warm smile dropped and she glared at me disapprovingly. "Yes, I do." Her face suddenly lighted up again. "But for now we're going shopping for your trip!"

I groaned. "Alice, no," I started to protest. I didn't go any farther to defend myself, though. If I could compromise with Alice…shopping for once didn't sound like such a terrible fate after all. I furrowed my brow and chewed the inside of my mouth, trying to think quickly of a good way to say this.

But Alice already saw my decision. She beamed at me, but darkened a second later. She figured out my catch.

I don't know, Bella…Edward told me that he wanted to wait to explain everything later. She wanted to keep Marjorie's story a secret for her to tell." Again with the story telling. She scrutinized me, debating on whether to give in to my proposition.

It seemed like an agonizing eternity before she made her decision.

Alice gave me a sly smile. "Alright. We need to go right now if we're going to get back before Edward returns." She sighed. "We really have time to get only one good outfit. But it's worth it," she added with a grin.

She suddenly eyed me suspiciously. She was making her own rules to our deal. "No complaining and I shop first and answer questions later."

"Yes ma'am," I responded, trying to get Alice in a lighter mood.

Satisfied with my response and appearing free of any guilt, she dragged me to her yellow porche. We sped off to Port Angeles. I knew Alice would have preferred Seattle or Olympia, but time was of the essence. We made it in eighteen minutes.

Alice sped me through the stores, heading right to the expensive designer clothing. She already decided on finding something dark blue, since that was Edward's favorite color on me. Her problem was finding _what_ would be my outfit.

"Should we go for capris, Bella? Those are always safe…But it is July and Chicago can get wickedly hot and muggy…perhaps shorts and a tank top would be better…or even a nice skirt…No, I don't think a dress would be suitable. You'll be walking around and it just seems too formal…What do you think?"

I didn't think it mattered. But true to my word, I trudged along silently behind her, rolling my eyes in annoyance behind her back, like a three year-old.

She finally decided on khaki capris, a lace bordered v-neck blue T-shirt, and brown sandals. I wanted to protest on her choice of footwear, but decided against it. At least she didn't try to get heels. I winced at the thought of stumbling around all day in shoes like that. It would end up in disaster.

During the car ride home, all fifteen minutes of it, it was my turn.

Alice was still grinning at the trip's success. She did not seem bothered at all about breaking a promise to Edward. I was wary of this reaction. Usually he gets angry at Alice does something he doesn't like when it comes to giving me extra information.

She probably had a vision about his reaction. He wouldn't be angry at her when he found out. That both pleased and disappointed me. While I did not want Alice to get in trouble, that meant that anything she would tell me would be seen as unimportant in Edward's eyes.

"Ttell me everything you know." I might as well get that in the open so she knows.

Alice laughed as if she knew something I did not. "Okay, Bella. I'll tell you everything. Her name is Marjorie Brady, she's sixteen years old, she lives outside Chicago, and she knows what Edward is." She smirked at me.

"That's it?" I asked incredulously. "That's all you know? Did you ever meet her? How do they keep in touch? How do they know each other?" This was ridiculous.

"Calm down, Bella. Breathe." She paused until I took a forceful deep breath.

"I've never met her. She has never visited Forks nor have I been to Chicago. They communicate by letters, of course, but for the past five years or so it's been through email. It's easier that way since we have to move every few years." She gave me a knowing smile.

A puzzled look twisted her features. "I don't know how they know each other," she continued slowly. "But Edward's been going to Chicago and keeping contact there since I joined the Cullens. And that was more than sixteen years ago."

"He goes to Chicago? How often does he visit? For how long?" I was liking this even less. I didn't think how much he could be tied to this girl.

"Oh, he doesn't go very often. Maybe twice a year." She was more relaxed now, answering a question she knew the answer to.

I let out a sigh of relief. Once or twice a year was not very often.

"And he only goes at night. He gets there after dark and leaves not long after the sun rises. Of course you can understand that."

"Can't he just wait for a cloudy day? You could tell him when to go," I suggested, remembering Alice's high accuracy in predicting the weather. Going at night just confirmed that Marjorie was a vampire. A human girl would need her sleep.

She giggled at my comment. "Oh, Bella. Haven't you ever heard of what the weather is like in Chicago? Even if it's going to be storming there will still be sunlight at some point in the day. It's weird. It's so windy over there, you could get rain off and on ten times over in one day. It would be hard to find a day when it's completely safe." She laughed again.

I thought of another question. "When does he usually visit? And don't you see him in your visions?"

"Well, he goes around time during the school year. Both of them have to go to school, you know. He visits around Christmas time and then again during summer vacation, but for the past couple years he's only been going during the summer. And he hasn't gone at all since last year. I think it's because she's busy."

She sighed in frustration. She hated not knowing answers because that made her power seem faulty. "I don't know, Bella. Edward doesn't tell us anything. He just writes to her and visits her once in a while." She was starting to get a little flustered with my interrogations.

I decided that now was a good time to stop. We were just turning into the Cullens' long drive and I had extracted as much as I could from Alice. I even felt guilty for getting her angry. I turned and looked out the window in embarrassment.

Alice noticed my reaction and put a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry I got angry. You know how much I hate it when my visions don't tell me everything." She chuckled to herself. "I don't blame you. I would want to know everything if I were you. But trust me, Bella. You have nothing to worry about. That I know. She's like a daughter to him."

We got out of the car and I started to feel confident again for the first time in two days. It would be alright, I told myself. They are like father and daughter. I could definitely see Edward in that position.

We walked into the bright house straight into a suspicious Edward. His arms were folded across his chest and he glared at Alice. He already knew about our compromise.

"What did you say?" He growled at her.

She just replied with a small smile and relayed our conversation to him through her thoughts.

Edward's tensed features gradually relaxed until he let out a breath in relief. He had not been breathing.

"Alright , Alice. I suppose no damage has been done." He turned to me. "As for you, why don't you trust me?" His voice sounded hurt. His bright topaz eyes flashed with pain.

I looked away, not being able to see him suffering and knowing that I caused it. "I hate surprises," I defended weakly. "And I was jealous."

"Bella," he muttered as his cold arms wrapped around me. "You have nothing to be jealous of. Alice was right when she told you that Marjorie is like the daughter I can never have." He chuckled and held me closer. "I love you," he whispered in my hair. "More than you can ever imagine."

We stood there, lost in each other for another minute before I pulled away. He kissed me on the forehead and we walked into the living room area.

I felt better after Edward banished all my fears. I was content with this trip. I was maybe even a little excited. My mind went back to Edward and Alice's mentions of stories. We were going to Chicago, Edward's hometown. Maybe I could find out more about his past, which was still a mystery to me. I knew that Marjorie had the answers.

For the first time, Chicago had a nice promising ring to its name.

**A/N: Please, please review and I will love you. I especially want to know if these characters are accurate, particularly Alice when she gets a little angry. Sorry this is another filler. The real stuff will come next chapter, I promise. **

**--Loie**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Once again, I don't own Twilight. Stop thinking that I do. I also do not own any of the songs mentioned here.**

The three hour plane ride was almost unbearable. There was so much turbulence that the little aircraft went through that we were rocking back and forth almost the whole time. Adding that to my anxiety of meeting my mystery girl, I felt very nauseous. Edward, concerned as always, held me close and whispered comforting thoughts in my hair. His sweet smell calmed my nerves, but not my stomach.

At last we arrived in Midway Airport. I wanted to exit the plane once I felt we touched down, but taxiing our way to the gate took another twenty agonizing minutes. I could feel my pulse throbbing faster and faster. No doubt Edward could hear it just as well.

"Shh, Bella, shh…" he comforted me. "Your heartbeat is going as fast as a hummingbird's." He smiled reassuringly and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear.

We got out of the plane and made our way to the exit. No need to wait for the check-in bags; all of our belongings were carry-ons.

A group of people waiting for their loved ones greeted us at the exit. I started looking around for a young girl in the front row. Surely she would be one of the eager ones and try to get a glimpse of us as soon as possible.

But Edward just passed them all by. I could tell that he was trying to find her _voice_ in the big airport.

I looked around again and I saw her. I was not sure at the time, but only my inevitable connection with beautiful, strange beings could put me with this girl.

She stood near the exit of the airport, away from all the crowds. She leaned against a pole in a nonchalant fashion with her arms and ankles crossed. Her pale face glowed in the overcast evening light, since the sun had not completely set. I could see that she was eager, despite her body language. Her golden eyes shone brightly in anticipation as they darted around the airport.

She was otherworldly. The other people all gave her a wide berth. Her dark hair that hung to the middle of her back was pulled back on top in a style that reminded me of the 1920s. She looked out of time, even though she was wearing jean shorts and a T-shirt with a high school's name on it.

Of course, Edward led me right towards this odd girl.

She turned towards us and she beamed as we caught her eye. "Edward!" she squeaked in excitement as she skipped over to meet us. Marjorie flung herself to hug Edward around his waist, much like a little kid does to a parent. I let out a small sigh of relief as Edward put his arms around her and patted her head.

"How are you, Jeri? It's been so long since I've come to see you," he replied.

She looked up and her eyes narrowed. "Too long," she amended.

Marjorie turned towards me and her eyes grew bright with excitement. "Oh! Bella…It's so wonderful to see you." She held a tight smile and looked at me the same way I remembered Esme looking when I first met her—one of pure joy. She broke away from Edward and took a step toward me, torn about how to greet me. She gave up all restraints and embraced me in a tight hug.

I immediately noticed something once her skin touched mine. It was _warm_. I was so happy that I hugged her back just as hard. She's human. No more crazy vampires who are super strong and intimidating.

"You're not a vampire?" I asked stupidly. I couldn't get over that surprise of her normal body temperature.

She giggled in response. "No. I'm just you average girl." I could hear her Chicago accent slurring the syllables when she spoke. "I'm quite honored that you would think that I'm a vampire, though," she added while shooting a smirk at me.

That last remark earned her a glare from Edward. To him, vampires were nothing but monsters. He never saw the other, superficial side of them—beauty and grace that was beyond human ability. I knew that Marjorie was thinking of that part, not the bloodthirsty ravaging one.

"Oh, you know what I mean," she shot back. Turning to me again, she said, "I'm sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. I'm just so excited to finally meet you. Edward's told me so many good things, I knew that you were the one when he first mentioned you." The corners of her mouth turned up in a grin as she looked at me again with nothing but satisfaction in her eyes.

Knowing better, I got a closer look at them. They were gold, but just around her pupils. The rest was speckled with green, blue and brown. Her eyes were an optical illusion in themselves and almost as captivating as Edward's topaz ones. I wanted to watch to see if they would change again.

"My name is Marjorie Brady, but call me Jeri. Marjorie's just so formal." She made a face. "But I'm sure Edward's at least told you my name already." She looked around nervously and asked Edward, "We should probably wait til we get there before we go into specifics, right?"

"Yes. You two already said the word 'vampire' in public. Where are you parked?"

"Just a little down that way." She pointed in the direction and she headed out. Edward held my hand and we followed her.

When Marjorie stepped out of the building, the strangest thing happened. Her hair was not brown, but shone auburn like Edward's. Her skin was also tanned lightly by the sun. She was as pale as I was when we were in the airport, I was sure of it.

I stopped walking. "Holy crow! What happened?"

She turned towards me with concern on her face. "What? What's wrong?"

"Your hair and skin. They're different." I stared at her in disbelief. Her eyes were changed too. They were now an emerald green.

Jeri laughed again. "Oh, my optical illusions. Yeah, my hair, skin and eyes change in different lights and what I wear." She giggled again and came closer to whisper in my ear. "If I ever became a vampire, I'd bet that'd be my talent. I would probably be able to change my coloring completely, though."

Edward glowered at her with irritation.

It wasn't until we were in the parking lot that Jeri noticed our bags. Her eyes grew wide in anticipation. "That's not for just one night, is it?" She squeaked with hope.

A crooked grin spread across one side of Edward's face. "I thought that Bella should have some time to get to sight-see and know you better."

"Oooh, yay!" She skipped in glee. "What should we do tomorrow, Bella? There's Navy Pier, museums, the Sears Tower, oh, you just missed the Taste. That would've been great to go to." She put the back of her hand up to her forehead dramatically. "But, alas, no such luck."

She then remembered that we would be staying for two nights instead of one. "But Edward, I told Mom that the retreat would be only one night! What'm I going to do?" She really looked stressed.

I realized that her and Edward's friendship was a secret. Marjorie had to make up where she was every time she did anything involving Edward. I felt bad for her, knowing how taxing that could be all too well.

"Don't worry, Jeri," he replied soothingly. "I called you mother two days ago and told her that your retreat was extended to two nights and two days."

"You're lucky that my mom's a paranoid packer. Otherwise I would've had to sneak back home for more clothes."

When we reached the car, a five seater, Jeri let out a sigh of surrender. "I suppose you want to drive?" she questioned drily. "Go ahead. Driving in the city isn't something I look forward to." She tossed him the keys.

"Where are we going?" I was being led blindly by these two. Something told me that wherever we were headed was not just any ordinary place.

Edward and Jeri exchanged smirks. "You'll see," she said.

Great. More surprises. My pulsed raced with the thought of another mystery.

"Relax, Bella. It's nothing to be so terrified about." He chuckled and grabbed me in a quick embrace before he left to take the driver's seat.

I was going to the backseat door, but Jeri beat me to it. "You can take the front," she offered. "I'm the youngest, anyway."

"Um, thanks," I muttered, surprised at her. I thought that she would want to sit with Edward and catch up, since they haven't seen each other in over a year.

Edward turned on the car and CD started blaring. I nearly jumped out of my skin. Instead, I hit my head on the roof of the car.

Marjorie quickly turned the dial. "Sorry," she apologized sheepishly. "I was in a good mood, so I decided to play some good jumping songs."

Jumping was right. The music wasn't peppy, but the beat was infectiously steady.

"You can turn on the radio, Edward," she added. She threw a quick smirk at me. "But Bella's on my team!"

"Your team for what?"

Her eye, now sparkling forest green, turned to me. "Me and Edward have a little competitive ongoing competition. Basically we play name that tune with the radio."

Edward flipped to a station. I could tell by the chords that the song was ancient.

_You shake my nerves and you rattle my brain_

_Too much love drives a man insane_

"Jerry Lee Lewis, Great Balls of Fire," said Edward calmly. A smile teased at the corners of his mouth. His topaz eyes glittered mischievously.

"Hey, no reading my mind," complained Jeri. "He always does that. That's why I thought we would have a chance with me and you as a team. He can't listen in on you." She made a face at Edward.

Edward laughed at this. "Well, maybe I would not listen in if you didn't shout it in your head. It's unavoidable to hear you."

We listened to the rest of the song in silence. Marjorie was dancing along and mouthing the words to the song.

Then it ended and suddenly she was on the edge of her seat, her head poking between mine and Edward's seats.

_Woke up to the sound of pouring rain_

_The wind would whisper and I'd think of you._

"Skid Row, I Remember You!" Jeri proclaimed triumphantly. "I blocked him out this time," she added to me with a wide grin.

"You got lucky that time, Jeri. You know I didn't particularly take interest in the 80s music."

"Yeah, but at least you _lived _through them," she shot back.

It went on for half an hour. Jeri got better at blocking her mind and would win the round if the song was from the 80s or 90s. I even got a song for us. Edward knew the 50s songs, but the 60s and 70s were a mystery to everyone.

Both of them seemed completely at ease. Marjorie kept moving to the music, each song with its own dance to match the beat and mood. Edward kept looking at me, his eyes at the same time concerned that I was doing fine so far on this unusual trip, but there was peace to them also. I could tell that he was happy to be home. No matter what happened to him, Chicago always would have a special place in his heart.

Edward drove into an older part of the city. There were grand, rectangular houses with well-kept gardens in the gated front yards. I could only imagine how beautiful the land was behind them, despite the small space.

It was here that Edward pulled up. We were right in front of one of the buildings. I finally realized what this building was.

"Edward, is this your…"

He turned to me, took my hand, and kissed it, smiling sweetly to me. "Yes. This is my home."

**A/N: What do I have to do, beg on my knees? Please, write me a review. Questions, comments, concerns, love, hate, critique, you name it, I want it! Hit the purple square that says GO and write!**

**--Loie**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Trust me, I'm not that creative.**

Stepping into Edward's house was like going back in time.

I walked into an entryway with burgundy carpet and floral wallpaper. At the back, the staircase wound itself against the wall to the second floor. I could see the upstairs hallway through the intricately carved wooden banister. I looked up to find an elegant chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

I looked around in awe before I noticed what was wrong with this scene—there were no cobwebs or thick blankets of dust. I would have expected it to look completely neglected since it had obviously not been remodeled since almost one hundred years ago.

Jeri walked in casually and went into the living room where she flopped down on a divan, tossing her backpack full of clothes on the floor next to her. This room was even more ornate than the entrance. A large fireplace was the focal point and was the resting place of several old photos. Golden curtains hung to the floor and covered the windows. The walls were also covered in flowery paper.

She looked at me, obviously pleased with my reaction. "Don't you love it? It's so traditional and antique. It's like the modern world outside these walls never existed."

I could only manage a "Yeah" in response.

Edward came into the room behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. "Let me give you the grand tour," he whispered in my ear. He took my hand and led me out of the room.

"Hey, wait for me!" I heard Marjorie call when she realized that we left her.

Edward showed me the dining room, kitchen, and parlor. All were beautiful and untouched. I was afraid to walk without stumbling and breaking something.

The whole tour of the first floor, Edward looked back at me, his eyes smoldering with excitement. I knew he felt satisfaction in finally showing me a part of his past that I had never seen before. Every once in a while, though, I noticed a longing in his topaz eyes.

"Edward, what's wrong?" I asked quietly.

He turned to me, his gaze distant. His face then became troubled as he fought for the right words. "Do you remember, Bella, when I told you that human memories fade? Well…every time I come back here…this house, my home, is more foreign to me." He sighed and I knew that he would cry if he could. His pain was so deep. "I don't want to forget."

I stroked his cheek soothingly. "You won't," I told him.

Edward took my face in his hands and leaned down to kiss me. His cold hard lips were urgent against mine. My arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer to me. My head felt dizzy from the lack of oxygen and Edward's intoxicating breath. After too soon, I had to pull away to breathe.

I heard a sigh behind me.

I whirled to see Jeri standing in the threshold leaning against the wall and staring dreamily at us. "You really do love each other."

I felt the heat rising to my cheeks in embarrassment. I forgot that she was there the whole time. Edward must have forgotten too because he looked at the floor nervously, like a little kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

Marjorie broke the silence. "C'mon. You've gotta see the rest of the house." She led us past the other rooms, grabbing her backpack as she went along, and up the stairs, the whole time stealing glances back at us mischievously to make sure that we were following her.

She let me and Edward walk in front when we reached the top. He continued the tour, showing me his parents' room with the large, ornate bed and the matching furniture and the guest room, where Jeri left her backpack.

He stopped at the end of the hall and looked to me sheepishly. "My room."

My breath caught as I took in the room. The walls were blue-green with white molding bordering them on the top and bottom. The desk in the corner was covered with music sheets: Debaussy, Mozart, Bach, Chopin, but some that had no name on the pages. I could only assume that they were Edward's creations. The dresser was arranged with small framed pictures and other things like a baseball glove and a phonograph. One wall was half covered with bookshelves, filled with old, fragile volumes. His bed was a modest for-poster with a simple blue blanket spread neatly across it.

I envisioned the human Edward spending time in this room, doing his homework, making music, and bidding his parents good night. He grew up in here.

Edward squeezed my hand. "Do you like it," he almost whispered.

I could only nod my head.

"Good because this is where you will sleep." He sighed in irritation. "Alright, Jeri. Go find all the pictures. Your incessant impatience is beginning to get on my nerves."

She rolled her eyes. "Finally! I'll meet you guys downstairs." And she dashed out of the room.

"Are you two going to explain everything to me now?"

Edward walked over to the dresser and took the pictures off of it. "Yes. Let's go. Jeri's bursting to tell you everything."

We walked downstairs and into the living room where Jeri waited for us.

"Okay," she began the millisecond I took my seat. "So you know how Edward grew up here and got sick and was changed by Carlisle, right?"

I nodded.

"And you know how Edward left Carlisle and Esme for a few years and went off on his own? Right?"

I nodded again. There was clearly more than what Edward told me before about his stage of rebellion. I only knew that it was for a few years sometime in the late 1920s and he fed off people he thought criminal enough to be killed.

"Did he ever tell you where he went?" She asked, moving to sit at the edge of the chair.

"No."

Her eyes lit up gray. "He went back to Chicago."

I could feel my eyes widen in response. Edward tensed the arm that was around my waist.

Pleased with my reaction, she continued. "Yeah, he heard about the gang and mob problems here with Al Capone and those guys that he decided to give them a little justice." She grinned wickedly at Edward, who narrowed his eyes, not pleased with her thoughts about her thoughts of him killing mobsters.

"So where do you come in?" this story still didn't make sense to me.

Edward broke in to explain. "Carlisle was wrong in thinking that I was alone. Yes, my parents had died and the chaos of the influenza proved as a good distracter for anyone to want to search for my body. But I had other relations. My mother had a younger sister, Aunt Katherine. My aunt had a little daughter named Emily" He sighed. "Emily was ten years younger than I. She lived right down the street with my Aunt Kate and Uncle John. She would cling to me like a puppy. I was her big cousin Eddy and she was the little sister I never had." He laughed to himself. "She was the only one who could give me a nickname.

"When the Spanish Influenza hit, Emily and Aunt and Uncle were one of the first to flee the city. My parents and I were scheduled to leave and follow them to Indiana a week later, but we were struck by the illness three days before our departure.

"When I came back to Chicago, I not only wanted to destroy every dishonest gangster in the city. I knew that Emily came back a few years before once the city was put back together after the epidemic. She was eighteen, a young woman almost ready to marry and start a life of her own. I had to see how she was doing.

"She and her parents moved back in to the house down the street. When I visited, I made sure that I would not be seen by my aunt and uncle. It was not necessary to involve them. I only wanted to see how Emily was coping with such a fragile time in her life.

"She did not believe me at first. She thought I was a ghost." He laughed at this. "Well, I could hardly blame her. Just look at me!" He sighed and went on. "In time, she understood what I was. She was doing just fine. She was engaged to a young man who, according to her thoughts, was respectable and loving." He smiled wryly at me. "I did my research on him, only to find out that he was good and they were in love."

I shook my head. Only Edward would be protective enough to stalk people in the lives of his loved ones and read their thoughts.

"After five years, I realized, as you already know, that my hunting preferences were not retribution for what I was. I was still a monster. I decided to leave Chicago and return to Carlisle and Esme, if they would have me. I knew that I could only break my violent habits with their help and support.

"But Emily wanted to keep in touch. To her, I was still her big cousin, a role model, even though she was now six years older than me. So we wrote letters. I would also come back to visit her every couple of years. She moved out to the suburbs where I watched her grow up into a loving mother, grandmother, and a great-grandmother." He grinned at Jeri, who smiled back.

It was Jeri's turn to talk now. "Emily was my great-grandmother. When I was little, I would spend my days with her while my parents worked. One time, I spent the night over there. My parents had to go away for the weekend on a business trip. I was three years old. And that's when Edward came to visit her."

Edward interrupted. "I was surprised by her. Not by just her presence in Emily's house, for I never met her children or grandchildren, but by how much she reminded me of Emily when she was that age."

Edward motioned to Jeri, who fished through her pile of pictures to find one of a little girl who looked strikingly like Jeri, except in old fashioned clothes. This was Emily. Jeri gave more pictures to Edward, who explained the people in them. There were Mr. and Mrs. Masen, Aunt Kate and Uncle Sam, Emily with her husband on their wedding day, with their children. The pictures became increasingly modern as Emily grew into a young, middle aged, and finally old woman. With her were her children and grandchildren, who also grew as time went on.

And the whole time, Edward stayed his in his seventeen year-old perfection. Time stood still for him while he watched his family grow up. I was finally beginning to understand how much it pained him to go through existence while everyone else went through life.

Edward took a deep breath and finished up his story. "I was instantly transported back to my human life 70 years ago. I loved that little girl like I loved Emily. I knew after that I could not just leave her. I had to make sure that she lived a whole life like my cousin.

"When Emily died two years later, I went to Chicago for her funeral. The only one who noticed my presence was little Marjorie. She asked if I would go away forever because the only time she saw me was with her great-grandmother. I told her that I would write to her and she to me. She was bright and had no trouble with our arrangement to keep in touch.

Jeri stepped in. "I had to lie to my parents, though. They couldn't know about Edward. So I said that I was writing to a pen pal that my teacher gave me. I had to check the mail every day so that Mom and Dad wouldn't find any letters from Edward." She smiled mischievously.

One piece was missing to this puzzle. "But what about when Edward visits? He said that he stays here overnight."

She waved it waved casually. "Oh, that. I just say that I'm goin' to a sleepover or something. This time I was carpooling kids on a youth group retreat. That's how I got the car. Even if I don't Edward just gets a cab, picks me up at my house, and drops me off in the morning before going back."

I sat there amazed at the perfect system they made up. No one would ever know.

My stomach started growling. I looked at the clock above the fireplace to see that it was almost nine at night. I hadn't eaten since before I got on the plane.

Edward and Jeri heard it too.

"C'mon. I'm starving too." She puckered her brow in thought. "Oh, I know where to take you! It's the one place you have to go if you're visiting, or, at least in my opinion. You have to get a taste of Chicago's famous deep dish pizza." She jumped up and hustled us out the door.

**A/N: "I want to know what you're thinking, tell me what's on your mind!" ("Pure Energy" by Information Society for you music lovers) Seriously, guys. Anything at all, don't hesitate to send me a review! I'm also concerned about any confusion on Chicago references. If you don't know, tell me so! I will me more than happy to explain. There will be more references later, so if you need explanations, ask. I would hate it if you didn't understand what's going on and you didn't tell me.**

**--Loie**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and I am not Stephenie Meyer.**

Edward drove us downtown to the restaurant while Jeri chattered happily to me from the back seat.

"Due's is great. It's the one place we have to take you to eat. You heard of Chicago deep dish pizza, right? Well, this is where it started. Actually, I guess it really started at Uno's because it was around first, but it's owned by the same people. Don't let anyone tell you that Giordano's is the best. It's like moldy cheese on cardboard." She distorted her features in disgust.

When we got to the restaurant after parking the car in a nearby garage, I was surprised to find that it was a little brick building all by itself. It was narrow and long with three stories and completely out of place next to the skyscrapers. People flooded around it, some waiting to be seated and others enjoying their meals. I could smell the food and my mouth watered.

"Oh, good. It's not that crowded."Jeri looked down at a delicate watch on her left wrist. "And lots of people are headin' out. We missed the evening rush. It'll be round 20 minutes."

I stared at her incredulously. Not that crowded?

Edward laughed at my skeptical face. "Don't worry. Jeri's right. Most of them are finishing up." He smirked and tapped his temple.

We walked inside and down the stairs to get a table. Edward used his most alluring voice to request a table for three under the name Cullen, dazzling the poor girl behind the counter.

"Edward! You shouldn't do that to unsuspecting girls," I scolded.

His topaz eyes were too innocent. He knew exactly what he was doing. "Can I do it to you?" His eyes smoldered at me.

I was immediately lost in his gaze and sweet breath that he blew on me. "Yeah," was all I could manage.

Jeri giggled. "It's really helpful sometimes. Today it will be. All we have to do is wait outside where the waitresses can't see him and we'll be the next called. If we wait here, it'll take forever." Her eyes, now brown in the dim light, darted to the waitress who was still ogling at Edward.

Edward frowned at her, displeased with her blunt explanation.

Sure enough, five minutes after we went back outside, the intercom announced, "Cullen, party of three, your table is ready. "

Jeri leaned towards me and whispered, "Told ya so."

Our over-eager host walked us to a table by a wall filled with pictures and newspaper articles. She threw a wistful smile at Edward and said to him, "Welcome to Due's. Your server will be with you to take your order in a few minutes."

Jeri caught my eye and raised her eyebrows, glancing back at the host. She didn't approve of this girl's behavior any more than I did.

Edward just replied with a distant "Thank-you" as he helped me into my chair, a perfect gentleman.

Jeri rolled her eyes and smirked. "Teenage girls and their hormones," she muttered to herself, completely ignoring the fact that she was a teenager herself, and probably filled with hormones. This comment reminded me of the first time I saw her and how apart she seemed to be from other people.

"What do you like on your pizza, Bella? We should just split a small, don't you think?" She asked.

I was caught off guard, still trying to figure out this girl who looked at me, waiting for an answer. "Oh, mushrooms, please."

She scrunched her nose in distaste. "Okay, half mushroom it is."

Edward gave the order to the flirtatious blond waitress who came a few minutes later. She noticed the ring on my left hand, which was entwined with Edward's on the table, and her face fell in disappointment.

Jeri watched the waitress leave with hunched shoulders, clearly entertained. She continued to look around the room when her smile fell and all color drained from her face. "Oh, God. Bella I completely forgot to tell you. Edward is my cousin and, since I don't think you guys can't not look like a couple, you'll be his girlfriend. And you're from Peoria. That's downstate" she added in response to my confused frown. She looked back to where a family was being seated across the room. One of the people was a boy her age. I assumed that they knew each other.

Marjorie turned her chair so that her back faced the boy. I had never seen her look so nervous. Her eyes kept to the floor and never looked up. Why was she so afraid of one classmate?

When I asked her, she flashed her eyes at me. In those blue eyes I saw anger and irritation, but underneath there was fear and embarrassment.

"Isn't it obvious?" She hissed. "He's a witness. Edward isn't supposed to exist. Noah," she gestured to the curly haired boy across the room, "knows who I am. He can personally testify that he saw me with you guys."

Edward was also tense. Even so, he rubbed Jeri's arm comfortingly. "It's fine. He hasn't noticed you."

"Yet."

I felt that there was another reason for Marjorie's anxiety, but I let the subject drop.

Our pizza came, and it smelled glorious, but was the weirdest pizza I had ever seen. The sauce was on top of the cheese and the crust was half an inch thick. I looked at Jeri confused, but she saw nothing wrong with the pizza and helped herself to a piece. I followed her lead and took a bite. The sauce burned my tongue, but it was delicious.

Jeri caught my reaction and threw me a smug grin.

We ate in silence. I was happily enjoying my pizza while Marjorie kept to herself, obviously afraid that if she spoke that Noah would hear her.

After Edward paid for our food, we got up and started walking out. Unfortunately, we had to pass the table where the boy was sitting. Marjorie was almost out of the room when…

"Hey Marjorie."

Jeri's cheeks turned a deep red as she cursed under her breath. She turned around slowly to greet her classmate. "Hi Noah," she responded quietly.

Noah was smiling back at her nicely, his strawberry blond curls hanging in his dark brown eyes, and started making small talk. "How's you summer been?"

"Fine."

"So, who's with you?" He looked over his shoulder to me and Edward.

Jeri jumped to attention and responded as I was sure she had practiced. "Oh, this is my cousin Edward and his girlfriend Bella. They're visiting for the day from Peoria," she added, as if this eliminated any suspicions.

"That's nice." He looked around awkwardly and decided that there was no use trying to keep a conversation with Jeri. "Well, I'll see ya round."

"Y-yeah," she responded nervously. She glanced at his family, who by now was listening in on their conversation. "Bye." Without a second glance, she turned and rushed out of the restaurant. Edward and I had to hurry to keep up with her.

"Whew, that was close," Marjorie sighed once she got outside. She turned to us, tired from the stress but in a significantly better mood. "We should go see Buckingham Fountain. All the lights will be on and it's so beautiful at night. Please, Edward?"

Edward consulted his watch. It was only ten at night. "Very well," he sighed. "One more excursion should be fine."

We walked back to the car and drove to what Jeri said was Grant Park. We walked a few blocks until we reached our destination.

Tourists were scattered around the clearing where in the middle was a magnificent fountain. Lights threw different colors on it. First red, then blue, green, then orange. Water sprung from its three levels onto the next highest one. In the very middle, a single jet of water rose to an alarming height. We were standing downwind, and were sprayed by the drifting water. Around it were carvings of different figures I could not make out in the darkness. At the edge of the monstrous pool that surrounded the fountain were four seahorses spouting water. It was beautiful.

"Isn't it cool?" asked Jeri eagerly. All trace of her mood earlier was gone.

I nodded in agreement.

We stood there for a while longer, just staring at Buckingham Fountain. Then, the highest stream of water died down to a stop.

Edward's arms wrapped around my waist and he whispered in my hair, "Are you ready to go?" He kissed my cheek softly.

I mocked a yawn, only to fight a real one.

He chuckled and took my hand. "Come on, Jeri," he called.

"Okay. It's getting late anyway," she responded.

We walked back to the car, Jeri and I slower than before with weariness. Edward was patient and matched his stride to the lowly humans. We got in the car and drove back to Edward's house, the city lights passing us by.

**A/N: Sorry, lame ending. As always, I love reviews of any kind! So send me one! You know you want to.**

**--Loie**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Twilight. I never will. Sigh**

Edward insisted that Jeri and I go to bed right after we got back to the house. Both of us were too excited to want to close our eyes, but we were no match for Edward in an argument.

Jeri tried to cheer me up by saying that we had all of tomorrow and the next night to talk. She knew when to give in and said good night to both of us.

I sat down next to Edward on the sofa in the living room, squirming under his arm to snuggle into his chest. "You were right," I admitted with a smile. "I am glad I came here."

He chuckled and held me tighter.

We sat there in silence, comforted by each other's presence. It was never awkward for me and Edward. There was no barrier between us. We knew the other so well that words often were not necessary. I was completely happy with just him being so near. I was complete whenever I was with him. I closed my eyes and rested my head under his chin, which he rested in my hair.

I started to think about the people in my life. Would everyone I knew live like I did, finding their soul mate? My mind jumped to my classmates in Forks. Angela and Ben, do they have what Edward and I have? What about Mike and Jess, would they ever find love? Even Jacob. He deserved love more than anybody. I thought of Jeri, who was so nervous when she talked to that boy. Did she always act like that with kids her age? I immediately pushed the thought aside. No, she was completely casual when she first met me and I was only a few years older than her. I still couldn't help thinking that Jeri was more than the cheerful girl that she let me see.

I sighed, not willing to think about difficult topics. I was starting to get tired, but I half blamed that on Edward's sweet breath. He also started to hum my lullaby.

"Are you ready to go to sleep now?" he whispered in my ear.

I nodded and wrapped my arms around his neck.

Knowing what I wanted, he reached under my knees and gripped my waist to cradle me against his stony chest. He climbed the stairs and went down the hall and into his room, setting me down on the bed as carefully and gently as possible, as if I was glass. To him, I might as well have been.

"Um…human moment?" I started to move to my bag to find my toiletries.

Edward beat me and handed me the bag with my hygiene supplies. But instead of letting it go, he pulled me to him and he kissed my forehead, inhaling deeply. The room spun. I would never get used to Edward and his seductive charm.

I showered, raked through my hair and brushed my teeth as fast as I could, eager to get back to where Edward would be waiting for me.

I hurried back the room and jumped into Edward's lap. I craned my neck to reach my mouth to his and gave him a long, hard kiss. He leaned back until he lay down on the bed, pulling me down with him, his feet still touching the floor. I felt cold hands on my face and he pulled me away, chuckling to himself. "Oh, Bella. Always so eager. Of course, I'm no help at all." He smiled wickedly at me, his eyes smoldering even in the dark.

"I thought you couldn't read my mind." He has never been able to, but sometimes I had my doubts.

"I still can't. But you get easier to read every minute I spend with you."

I blushed, embarrassed by my obvious body language and facial expressions. Even the blush gave me away. I felt the heat rising at the thought. I couldn't help myself.

Edward picked me up with one hand and pushed away the sheets with the other. He lay me down again and joined me on the bed. His icy body was a nice comfort. It was hot here, even at night.

A chilling thought came to my mind. How much did Jeri know about what had been going on with me and Edward for the past two years? Did Edward tell her everything?

I couldn't keep this to myself. I had to know. "Um, Edward?"

"Mmm." He murmured in my hair, inhaling my scent.

I tried to keep my voice level, and failed miserably. "What did you tell Jeri when you wrote to her for the past two years? Does she know about everything?"

He hesitated for a moment, thinking of the right words. "When I first met you, I told her about you about three weeks after I returned from Alaska. I had been avoiding her and she knew something was wrong. She offered me to stay in Chicago so she could keep an eye on me, but I declined.

"When I began visiting you at night," my skin blazed at his mention of sneaking in my room to hear me talk in my sleep, "she knew that I was falling in love with you. She was just as pleased as Esme." He laughed to himself. "She even tried to give me advice on trying to catch your eye. She didn't have a problem that you were human and my singer. She thought it was all the more romantic."

I was puzzled by his humor. "What do you mean? Why is that so funny?"

"I suppose it is more ironic than funny. Marjorie has trouble with fitting in with other people. She's always been…different. She doesn't connect with them, unless they are people she has known for a while."

I remembered how Jeri was standing at the airport, away from other people. She looked otherworldly, not completely human, even though she was. But she was perfectly friendly and calm when she met me.

When I questioned Edward about this, he laughed again. "That's because she felt that she had already known you because of how much I mentioned you in my letters. You were already familiar to her. She only needed to see your face in order for it to be complete in her mind." He had her thought processes down to a science.

That brought me back to my original point. "How much does she know?"

He sighed again, obligated to answer the touchy question. "When I left," his voice shook with guilt, "I told her what I had done. Jeri, being the hopeless romantic that she is, wanted me to go back to you. She became very angry at me. After I lost Victoria, I came here to visit her, but she refused to offer me any solace until I set things right and went back to you. Jeri hated me like that, but she saw it as a burden I put on myself." He chucked in my ear. "She was right."

That was not what I wanted to hear. "And then?"

Edward saw what I was getting to. "Yes, I told her about Jacob. I must say, that was the angriest I had ever seen her write. She was furious that I had competition. To her, all three of us were to blame. Jacob for not backing away, me for not being more assertive in fighting for you, and…you for loving Jacob." He held me against him tighter and kissed my jaw, immediately sorry for telling me the truth.

Just saying Jacob's name out loud made a rip in my heart. I fought back tears that came involuntarily. For once, I was successful. I promised that I would never cry for Jacob Black again and I would not break it.

"Don't worry, Bella. All is forgiven now. She knows that we will be together forever," he pleaded, covering my neck with kisses.

I needed no reassurance from Edward's kissing, though it was very enjoyable. He said forever. I would be a vampire someday to be with Edward for eternity. My heart soared. I leaned to him and crushed my mouth to his, winding my arms around his neck and my fingers in his bronze hair. He responded with just as much enthusiasm. His cold hand stroked my spine while the other kept firm on my waist, pressing me to him.

I had to breathe again, the silly human necessity. I was breathing raggedly, not able to stop gasping for air. Edward was doing the same.

He laughed, hugging me in his iron grasp. "It's time to sleep, now. We've got a long day ahead of us, according to Jeri's plans." His golden eyes sparkled in the dark.

I sighed, content in his arms, and let him sing me to sleep.

**A/N: Maybe if I stop begging, I will get more reviews. (hint hint, nudge nudge, wink wink)**

**--Loie**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I wished upon a star that I owned Twilight. My wish hasn't come true.**

I woke up to the sound of music playing downstairs. The sunlight saw barely creeping through the closed curtains in Edward's room. Any other day I might have thought that it was too early to wake up, but today I was in Chicago and a tourist with an eager guide. I rolled over in Edward's cold arms, which worked very well as an air conditioner last night in the sticky weather. I smiled up at him and he grinned back in greeting, followed by a grimace.

"Good morning. I'm sorry for Jeri's choice of a wake up call. It's not very subtle. I warned her to let you sleep, but she insisted that we get an early start."

I smiled at him again and reached up to kiss his forehead. "That's okay. We don't want to keep her waiting." I reluctantly pulled myself away from Edward to get ready. Today, shorts and a tank top would be more than necessary in the heat. I climbed down the stairs to meet the impatient Jeri when I tripped on the last step. Edward was there, of course, to catch me before I moved more than a foot closer to the ground.

Jeri turned off the phonograph and came into hallway. "Good morning, lazy bones. Are you ready to go?"

I nodded yes and she turned and reached for the door when the worst thing happened.

Sunlight poured out of the open door. I looked up to the sky to find that it was peeking out of a cloud. The sky was cloudy, but it was nowhere near the thick overcast of Forks. I remembered the hint of light showing through the curtains right now. How did I miss the significance of that?

Marjorie glowered at the sky, cursing under her breath, which earned her a frown from Edward, since he could hear every profanity she uttered. "Why today? This completely destroys everything I planned." She noticed that there were clouds in the sky and her face lighted up in hope as she looked at Edward. He just shook his head in response. Jeri shrugged her shoulders and begged once, "Please?"

Edward growled at her. "No, Marjorie. We can't take that risk."

Jeri sighed and closed the door in defeat. "I guess the tour is over. We'll have to stay here."

I had to admit that I was disappointed. While I was hesitant about letting this girl cart me around the city to wherever she wanted to go, this was my first time in Chicago. I wanted to see as much of the city as I could. This would be my only chance. Tomorrow morning we were leaving to go back to Forks.

Edward looked back between me, Jeri, and the door. His face was twisted in self debate. His golden eyes shined with indecision. At last, he sighed, his decision made. "Go. You shouldn't let me hold you back. I want you to call me every hour on the hour to check in so that I know that everything is fine and return by six." He turned to look at Jeri with a hard stare. "And I will be listening, too, so don't get carried away."

Jeri's golden eyes lit up. She hugged Edward tightly around the waist and squealed, "Oh, thanks Edward. Don't worry, we're gonna be fine. You already know where we're goin'." She took my hand and bounded out the door, her hair immediately shining fiery red in the dreaded sun. When she reached the bottom of the steps, she turned around and gave Edward a thought because a second later he called back from the house, keeping within the shadows, "No. I will need it in case I need to chase after you two should anything happen."

Jeri shrugged, turned back, and started walking down the street.

"Jeri?" I asked in a hesitant tone. She was leading me into a large, unknown city. That was a bad combination for me.

"Yeah?" She smiled at me, clearly excited to be going to be on our journey.

"Where are we going?"

"Well, I wanted to take you to Navy Pier and then the Sears Tower. Hopefully we can get to go to the top. That'll take us to about six, don't you think? And if we've got extra time on our hands, we can go to the beach." She saw my stricken face and quickly added, "Don't worry. We're not goin' swimming. Just to cool off and wade in a little. You shouldn't really swim in there anyway. There's too many chemicals in there, but you can still go in if you want to."

Jeri stopped walking and looked at me very much like Edward whenever he wanted to figure out what I was really thinking. She then averted her eyes and stared at the sidewalk ashamed. "We don't have to go if you don't want to. It's up to you," she murmured. She laughed to herself, but it was humorless. "I guess I got carried away. The one time I don't freak out I still mess it up. C'mon. Let's go back." She took my hand again and started to pull me back, but I resisted.

"Jeri, I was looking forward to being shown Chicago by a native." I grinned at her and her mouth stretched into a wide smile.

"Okay, let's go!"

We took the train, which Jeri called the L, to Navy Pier. It was a huge building that was right at the inland end of, what else, a pier. Inside were hundreds of stalls and shops with all different kinds of products. But Jeri never looked once at the tourist traps and led me into the center of the building where she stopped. There was a stage in the middle of the open area with a sign displaying a show schedule.

"This is where they do a bunch of shows. Upstairs is a conservatory—but that's boring—and the Children's Museum—too young, but a nice place—and the Imax movie theater." She walked over to the show schedule. "Ooh, there's some dancers at 11:00. Do you want to see them?" Her tone told me that the decision was completely mine.

"Umm…sure." It might be interesting.

Marjorie looked at her watch. "Well, it's nine o'clock now, so we've got an hour and a half before we need to come back. C'mon. Let's go outside. There's a ferris wheel. It's the slowest thing in the world, but it's huge and kind of a thing you have to do."

We walked through the building to the pier. Among the stands selling keychains and food and games, there was the ferris wheel. It was the biggest one I had ever seen. It must have had over thirty seats and go as high as forty feet.

Jeri pulled me into the line as we waited for the wheel to slowly turn around to let the old riders off and the new ones on. As we got closer to the front, I noticed how old it was and how much the compartments swayed in the wind from Lake Michigan. Suddenly riding the ferris wheel did not seem like such a good idea. I gulped.

Marjorie heard that and she looked at me with her concerned gray eyes. Her face glowed white and her hair returned to a more inconspicuous brown as a cloud covered the sun. "Are you sure you want to go? It won't break, but if you're afraid, we can do something else."

I hesitated, tempted to take her up on the offer, but thought that I was being silly. "No, I'm fine." I tried to convince her with a smile.

She shrugged. "Okay. It's our turn next. Finally!"

The little hanging compartment swayed violently as an ecstatic little girl and her parents climbed out and Jeri and I settled in. The attendant locked us in, and we were off.

We were the last ones to get on the wheel because it did not stop at the next level, but continued going at a snail's pace. I looked down and saw the pier shrink as we rose higher into the air. I looked out to the city at the skyline of the skyscrapers. I could see the whole city from the top. The lake's waters rolled into the sandy shores softly and beachgoers ran into the water only to sprint back, afraid of the cold.

Jeri looked over to me. "You like it?" A smile played on the corners of her mouth.

"Yes. You can see everything from here," I whispered in awe as the ferris wheel brought us slowly back down.

She laughed in response. "Wait till you see the view from the Sears Tower. If it's a good day, you can see Indiana and Michigan."

My eyes widened at the thought.

We spent the rest of the ride in silence, me taking in the incredible views and Jeri relaxing in her seat, gazing at the sky, looking as serene as ever. It was a comfortable silence—a mutual understanding of each other.

It took fifteen minutes to let all of the passengers off before we reached the bottom. I stumbled off and held on to Jeri's surprisingly steady arm.

"Do you still want to see the show?" she asked me. "We've got half an hour to get there."

"Yeah. It should be interesting." I let go of her arm and walked shakily, trying to regain my balance. After half an hour of sitting in a swinging cart, I was not used to steady ground.

We walked back to the stage and sat down on the floor right in front. Jeri obviously didn't have a problem being on the same level as the seven year-olds that congregated around us, trying to get a better view.

The performance was of a troupe of flamenco dancers. They were so graceful, twirling their skirts and clicking their castanets perfectly in time with the music. All of them were only a few years younger than me and Jeri. Their bodies were so expressive and graceful as the moved to the music. I sighed and wished that I could be that talented and move with such grace.

After the show, we left Navy Pier in search of a place to eat lunch. There were restaurants in the pier, but Jeri insisted that we leave the beaten track and search for something better.

Jeri made her fourth dutiful call to Edward to check in. She tried to persuade him to join us since there was more cloud cover, but he insisted that it was still too risky. I had to agree with him. If the sun took us by surprise, there would be nowhere to hide without someone seeing his sparkling splendor.

We wandered in the direction of the Sears Tower after getting off the train in search of a good restaurant. Jeri decided reluctantly on a Jimmy John's. "But you can get this anywhere. It's not real Chicagoan food," she complained.

The Sears Tower loomed over us as we approached it. It was the tallest building in the world. "Well, just building building wise. Not including the spires. But that's not part of the building. Everyone else cheats with those." Marjorie narrowed her eyes in mock anger.

We walked inside and Jeri tried to get us able to go to the top of the monstrous building. The man behind the desk just shook his head and said that they stopped tours ever since 9/11.

Jeri walked out with her head hung in disappointment. "Sorry. I should've checked first. So, do you want to go to the beach? It sure is hot enough."

It was. I was sweating from the heat being reflected off the buildings and concrete. "I think some cold water would be great."

When we got to the beach, we immediately went right for the water. It smelled fishy and the water was murky, but refreshingly icy cold. The waves licked my ankles and I sighed in relief. Even this was enough to beat the heat. I loved the blistering heat of Phoenix, but hot in Chicago also meant humid.

Jeri ventured into the lake, the water rising to her thighs. "C'mon, Bella!" She waved me over.

I walked slowly over to her, fighting against the waves. Our shorts were soaked at the bottoms. I jumped when the wet fabric touched my skin.

"Jeri?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you angry at me?"

She seemed puzzled at my question. "Why would I be?"

I sighed, hoping that she would figure out what I was implying so I wouldn't have to say it out loud. "For what happened earlier this summer. With Jake."

Her face darkened at the sound of his name. She thought long and hard. "No. I suppose it was just a rut in your and Edward's relationship and you survived it. It makes your love stronger, if anything." She smiled at me apologetically and put a hand on my shoulder. "I don't mind. The only thing that matters is that it all turns out fine in the end. And it has."

"And my plans with my mortality?" I needed to find out how much we agreed on. She might be another Rosalie on the subject.

"You mean when you become a--" she looked around to see if anyone was near "you-know-what?" Her green eyes became distant and dreamy. "I think it's so romantic. Your dedication to Edward is so strong. I wish I had that." She looked down and blushed in shame. "You guys are so lucky."

She continued on her own. "To watch you two together, it's heartwarming. You really are soul mates. True love like that is so beautiful. If I ever fell in love with a vampire," she whispered the last word, "I would do the same thing that you're doing. Without a doubt." She beamed at me.

Her smile fell into a frown. "But that'll never happen to me. I don't…act like everyone else. You saw me. I'm not normal." I saw tears leak from her emerald eyes.

I pulled her into a hug. "You're not weird. You're just like I was when I was in Phoenix. I never connected with other kids my age."

"I know," she snapped as she pulled away. "Edward told me what you said about your life in Phoenix." She glared at me accusingly. "But even you didn't think I was human. You thought I was what Edward is." She laughed darkly. "I guess I've been influenced too much by him."

I immediately felt guilty. I remembered judging her, thinking that she didn't belong with the other people. They shied away from her. Did that happen wherever she went?

There was no avoiding it. "I know, and I'm sorry. You're unique, that's all. To be honest, it's nice to meet someone who seems from another time and place. Just look at me and Edward."

She laughed now. "I guess. Are you ready to go home now? We should start heading back."

I looked out at the horizon where blue sky met brown water. "Alright. Lead the way."

**A/N: Review, review, review! I love it when you do!**

**--Loie**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: Yes, Twilight is mine, all mine…NOT!! And neither is "Maybellene" or Tuck Everlasting, just so you know.**

Marjorie and I rode the L in silence. It was a long ride since we had to go through the downtown area Jeri called the Loop. I was still thinking about what she revealed to me, trying to piece together her story. Jeri still seemed too embarrassed and ashamed from letting go of her composure to talk to me. She kept her eyes down on the floor the whole time.

She definitely wasn't the always-cheery girl that I thought she was. I saw hurt in her eyes when she spat out the truth. I looked at her with a new light and noticed how small she looked, even though she was just as tall as me and heavier. She sat cross-legged and twiddled her thumbs in her lap. She appeared lost, someone who needed a friend to take her hand and lead her home.

I tried to imagine how she was with other people. Did she try to be friendly, or did she not bother and sit in the back of the class like I did? How many friends did she have? Did she even talk to her parents? Right then, staring at her, she seemed utterly alone.

I scrutinized her face and saw something else beside loneliness. There was a hardness in her eyes and her jaw was set. I knew that expression. Marjorie was readying herself for anything unpleasant to happen. In her cold, gray eyes I could see the years of tolerance of critical stares and complete isolation.

She was different than me when I was in Phoenix: she cared that she was different. I never minded too much that I didn't have many close friends in Phoenix. I just kept my head down. Marjorie looked up to find that everyone else had what she didn't, and it bothered her.

Marjorie looked up at me hesitantly. She didn't hold my stare for long; she kept looking away as she muttered, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have flipped out at you like that. I just…I don't react well with people. I shouldn't've told you all that. I completely ruined our day." She sighed in defeat.

"Jeri?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't worry." I draped my arm across her slumping shoulders. "I know more about you now. We have more in common than you think."

She smiled at me and her eyes lighted up. "Yeah, we both have an uncanny connection with people like Edward."

I laughed at the too obvious truth. I was glad that she was recovering her good humor. "And you know, you were perfectly agreeable when we first met. You're just like me. We both get nervous."

"Yeah, but you don't count. I felt like I already knew you with Edward's endless descriptions of you over the past year and a half."

I blushed crimson, not being able to imagine what kind of embarrassing details Edward told her. She laughed again. "Don't worry. It wasn't anything too detailed. It was so sweet and romantic how much he talked about you. No, he _only_ talked about you." She sighed with a small smile pulling at her lips and her eyes were distant again in thought. What a hopeless romantic, I thought.

We hopped off the L and walked the rest of the way back to Edward's house. My heard was already racing at the thought of seeing him for the first time since this morning. I missed him, as desperate as it sounded to anyone else. I think Jeri understood, though. She kept up with my constantly accelerating pace as we got closer to Edward with a smirk on her face.

I tried to run up the steps without stumbling, but failed. Edward was already outside, catching me before I hurt myself. I gasped in fear of someone seeing him looking like a human rainbow, but thankfully the sun was blocked by a cloud.

Edward pulled me up and into his cold alabaster arms. He pressed his lips to mine passionately. By his kissing and his large hands pressing the small of my back into him, I could tell that he missed me as much as I missed him. I wrapped my arms around his neck as I parted my lips and sighed, breathing in his heady scent.

After our reunion, Edward ushered us into the house before the sun came out again. He wrinkled his nose as he scrutinized us. "You both smell of dead fish and pollutants. Go take showers before we go anywhere."

"Can I go first?" Jeri asked me. "My hair takes forever to dry."

"Sure, go ahead." Her dark hair fell to the middle of her back in a thick ponytail. She had precedence over me.

She smiled in thanks and bounded up the stairs, leaving me and Edward alone in the living room. I lay down on the divan, exhausted from the day's walking. Edward sat down on the edge.

"Are you alright?" Concern spread across his face.

I furrowed my brow in confusion. "Yes. I'm just tired. Why wouldn't I be?"

He shrugged in response. "I can never tell if everything is truly alright with you. It's maddening." His mouth pulled into my favorite crookedly dazzling smile. My breath caught. Would I ever get used to him and his perfection? No, I never would. The thought made me shiver in pleasure.

He leaned in closer to me with the same grin across one side of his face. He blew his intoxicating breath in my face. The room spun around me and my heart raced. "Breathe," he whispered. I inhaled deeply, drowning in his sweet smell.

Edward was teasing me. He still couldn't believe that he had such an effect on me and It absolutely thrilled him. His eyes smoldered butterscotch. It wasn't fair.

I decided to take action and tried my best to give him an alluring smile. I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around his neck and stroked the top of his spine with my fingers. I left a trail of slow kisses up his neck to stop at the corner of his mouth.

He groaned. "Bella, get in the shower before I take you right now. Jeri's out."

I smirked at him. It was my turn to be thrilled that I had an effect on him. I gave Edward a quick kiss on the forehead and started for the stairs.

I tried my hardest to get the stink out, but I only got a mixture of fish and freesia as a result. I would have to shower again when we got home from dinner.

I came down the stairs to hear Jeri and Edward arguing on where to go for dinner.

"C'mon, Edward. Portillo's is great. It may not be fancy or anything, but it's a local place and they serve good food. Not like you would know." She glared slyly at him with her eyebrows raised, knowing that she had hit a dent in his armor.

I immediately agreed with Jeri once she uttered the words "not fancy." I liked simplicity and apparently Jeri did too.

I took this opportunity while Edward was still thinking of a reply to speak up. "Portillo's sounds good to me. I don't mind if it's not really nice. Casual is perfect for me."

"I know," Edward growled back. He knew that he lost the argument.

Edward drove us out of the city. The sun was setting behind the buildings, so it was safe, even though it was only 7:45. Jeri gave him directions, taking this street and that until we were on the expressway. We got off ten minutes later and drove on until we came to a diner looking building on a corner by a big parking lot. The drive thru was twenty cars down and workers were frantically trying to take their orders and repeat them through their headsets. It looked packed to me, but Jeri was not thrown off by all the cars.

"It shouldn't be too long of a line inside. They're real fast and the parking lot isn't even that full," she explained.

We walked in and I felt that I had been transported back fifty years ago. There were neon lights all over the ceiling and bordering the top of the walls. There floor was black and white tiles that made their way halfway up the walls. Pictures and other old memorabilia were scattered around the restaurant. The room was filled with rows of booths with glittering seats and coat hooks in between them. Oldies music was blowing softly in the background. I looked at Edward and I realized why he had given in so easily. He saw this in Jeri's head. Now, he relaxed and moved his head to the music.

We took our place in the short line and placed our order. I decided on an Italian beef sandwich, following Jeri's suggestion. She walked over to where twenty other people were waiting for their food. It only took about ten minutes to get our food. We picked out a booth and sat down.

A new song started playing. Edward looked at Jeri expectantly. She puckered her brow and strained to concentrate on the music above the buzz of conversation.

_Maybellene, why can't you be true?_

_Oh Maybellene, why can't you be true?_

_You've started back doin' the things you used to do._

Jeri frowned. "It's 'Maybellene,' but I forgot who sings it."

Edward opened his mouth to tell her the answer when she held up her hand in protest. "No, don't tell me. I know it, it's just on the tip of my tongue…" She groaned in frustration. "Bella, do you know?"

I shrugged at her and declared myself as completely useless when it came to identifying 50s singers.

She jumped. "Oh! Chuck Berry!" She beamed at him with self satisfaction.

He laughed at her. "It took you long enough. It's almost over now." He looked down at mine and Jeri's untouched food. "Eat," he ordered.

I picked up the soggy sandwich and bit into it. The juice dripped down it and onto my hand. Jeri handed me a napkin, which I accepted gratefully. But even with the drawback of my sandwich squirting at me, it was delicious.

I caught Jeri's expectant gaze. "You like it?"

"Yeah," I mustered out in between chewing.

When we were finished and walking back to the car, Jeri stopped in her tracks. "Oh, we gotta go get some popcorn for Bella before you guys go," adding later for my benefit. It also helped her argument if I was aware and could agree with her. Two pleading girls would be too much for Edward to handle.

I was hesitant about this idea. I was stuffed from all the food I had just eaten. Just the thought of eating again made my stomach churn in protest. "We just ate, Jeri. Is it really that important?"

She sighed and looked down at the concrete. "No, I guess not. But you would be hungry by the time we got there. We would walk. Oh, well. But it's your loss. You're missin' out."

Back at the house, I went right for the divan to lie down. My full stomach made me even more exhausted. Edward sat on the edge again and Jeri sprawled across the sofa.

"How did your finals go?" Edward asked her.

"Fine. I didn't do well on math, though. Algebra just isn't my forte. Of course, I already figured that out three years ago." She sighed in disappointment. "I'm just glad school's over. But it's already July. Before I know it, it'll be time to go back, and I heard that junior year's the hardest." She frowned at the prospect.

They continued with their small talk and I learned about Jeri's school life. She went to a magnet school in the Loop and enjoyed history and English, but detested math. She said that science was interesting, but hard. This was a girl after my own heart. I also loathed math with every fiber of my being. I shuddered at the painful memories of calculus.

"So, you guys really aren't going to the University of Alaska next year, are you?" she asked quietly.

I looked down, embarrassed of my plans to become a vampire. The blood rushed to my face.

She took that as a yes. "How long will it take for you to be okay?"

"It will take years, Jeri," Edward replied tersely. "We've been through this."

"Yeah, I know," she sighed. "It's just that I won't be able to see you guys until then. A lot happens in a few years."

I sat up, worried about her reaction. "What's wrong, Jeri?"

She stared at me for a few minutes, as if she was trying to remember my face. "I'm just reminded of Tuck Everlasting. I feel like Winnie. You two are even the same age as Jesse. It's just depressing that I'll go through life and you guys are stuck in limbo, never to change."

"But we'll write," I tried to reassure her.

She smiled at that. "Yeah, I guess so. And I'll know you guys will be happy. That's enough for me. Just visit me once in a while once you can."

Marjorie stood up and came over to where Edward and I were sitting. "I'm going to bed now. We need to get up real early tomorrow. The flight's at six, right?"

"Yes. We will need to get there at five," Edward replied.

"Okay," she yawned. She leaned down to give Edward a hug. She then faced me and embraced me tightly. "Good night, Bella," she whispered.

Edward and I laid together on the divan after she left, him humming my lullaby in my ear and stroking my hair. I must have fallen asleep, because I opened my eyes to Edward whispering in my ear to wake up. We were in his bedroom.

"Wake up, Love. We need to leave soon." I noticed a hint of sadness in his velvety voice.

I dressed slowly and met Edward and Marjorie downstairs. She looked forlorn. We both grabbed a granola bar for breakfast before leaving. I looked around the house one last time as I gathered my belongings, trying to remember as much as possible. I hoped that it wouldn't be too long before I could come back here.

When we got to the airport, I remembered the reason why Edward and I came here. Should Marjorie come to the wedding? I knew the answer at once. She had become a friend to me. I wanted to share the best day of my life with her. It would also be nice to have a true human confidant. She already knew everything, but was just a spectator.

"Jeri?"

Her golden eyes were glassy as she looked at me. "Yes?"

"Are you available on August thirteenth?"

She frowned in thought. "I don't think so. Why?"

I glanced back at Edward. He smiled at me reassuringly and nodded his head once. His hand squeezed mine.

"Would you like to come to our wedding?"

Jeri's eyes widened in shock. Her mouth widened in a huge smile. "Yes! Oh, thank-you, thank-you!" She grabbed me in a tight embrace. Then she went to hug Edward. He just chuckled and patted her back lovingly.

"We should go. The plane leaves in less than an hour," said Edward.

Jeri let go and smiled at us, but it was tainted with the sadness of separation. "Okay. I wouldn't want you to miss your plane. Good-bye." She hugged us both again, but longer and more deeply. She was going to miss us.

She finally unwrapped her arms around us and we started towards the gates.

"Write to me! Tell me all the details! Bye!" She waved at us until shewas lost behind the crowds of travelers.

**A/N: I forgot to mention last chapter that I have no idea if you can go to the Sears Tower anymore. I was lazy and didn't want Bella and Jeri to go, so I gave the excuse that was valid maybe in 2002. Don't take the Sears Tower scene seriously. Getting back to business, you do know that I know how many times someone visits the chapter, right? Let's just say it's a lot more than the number of reviews I'm getting. So, review please! I will love you forever!**

**--Loie**


	10. disclaimerexplanation

Disclaimer: I don't even know how I would go about owning Twilight.

OK you are going to hate me, but this isn't a chapter. It's a disclaimer/explanation of all the things mentioned in Bella and Edward's Chicago trip. I'm paranoid and I don't want to get in trouble.

When they arrive, they are in Midway Airport. That's the smaller one. They really wouldn't arrive in O'Hare because that's mostly international.

I made Edward's house up. I suppose there's a neighborhood somewhere like that, but I don't know where it is.

Due's is a real restaurant. It has great deep dish pizza. If you ever go to Chicago, eat there or at Uno's. They are owned by the same people. And my description stands true for both locations.

The reign of Al Capone is accurate. Edward left during the late 20s according to the Twilight Lexicon timeline (which I also am not affiliated with) and Al Capone was out and about in the streets of Chicago during that time.

Giordano's is another deep dish pizza place. I don't like it, just to express my opinion.

Buckingham fountain is in Grant Park. You can search it on the web to see pictures and learn more about the history and meaning behind it.

Navy Pier is also real. There is a huge ferris wheel that goes extremely slow. The center where Bella and Jeri watch the dancers is also valid. A bunch of shows go on there. I've actually performed there a couple of times.

The Sears Tower…I don't know where on the stats it is on the tallest building race. Last time I heard it was the tallest building part of the building, not counting the cautionary spires. But I'm not sure about that any more. Also, I don't know if you can tour the top anymore. I did when I was little, but I don't know after 9/11. So I was lazy and didn't look it up and decided that Bella and Jeri wouldn't go there.

Lake Michigan is a nice place to go to freeze in the water. It is polluted, so you have to wait until it hasn't rained for a while.

I think I spelled the slang term for the train wrong. It's the EL not the L. I've never seen it spelled before. I don't know what train line Bella and Jeri used. I made that up, but I'm sure that some line goes by the places they rode to.

Portillo's is another real restaurant. The closest one to the city is in a suburb called Berwyn. It's a very popular place. My descriptions of the crowdedness and its appearance and theme are true. I'm sure you can find it on the web.

I have designated a school to where Jeri would attend. It is called Walter Payton High School. It is a magnet school in Chicago, which means that it's an accelerate public school. You have to have good grades and pass tests in order to attend.

I'm sorry for any errors in the chapters. I looked back and there are some freaky squares in the middle of the text.

I think that's it. Hopefully that clears anything up and I won't get in trouble. If I figure it out, I will post links of pictures to help you visualize. I know it's a little late, but better late than never!


	11. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I take it as a compliment that you think I own Twilight, but I do not.**

All of the Cullens came to Port Angeles to welcome me and Edward back. Alice danced toward us and gave me a tight hug. Esme was more patient and waited until we walked over to the rest of the Cullens before pulling us into an embrace. Carlisle shook my hand and Emmett slapped me playfully on the shoulder. I winced at the force and Edward noticed and threw him a warning look. Even Rosalie smiled and wrapped an arm across my shoulders. Jasper kept his distance and smiled warmly at me before hugging his brother.

"Oh Bella, I saw the whole thing! What a trip you had! I wish I was there, it looked so nice…" Allice chattered to me on our way to the cars. She continued all the way home, retracing mine and Edward's steps for the past two days as of we didn't actually walk them. I just leaned into Edward's chest in the backseat, answering her occasional questions that her visions didn't answer.

Jasper dropped me off at my house. Edward said that he would pick me up in half an hour so I had time to unpack and to unpack himself, even though he really only needed half a second, not an hour.

"It's all part of the charade, love," he simply replied with a kiss to my cheek before I stumbled out of the car, dizzy from his sweet breath.

I walked to the house, grabbed the key from under the eave, and stepped inside. I immediately noticed that the television wasn't on. I was puzzled. Usually Charlie was watching a recap of sports events. I remembered it was Saturday and thought he might have been out fishing with Billy.

I heard muttering in the kitchen. I looked inside to find Charlie on the phone. He looked more anxious and stressed than I had ever seen him in my life. He also looked like he had been crying. His forehead was tightened into lines of worry and his eyes were red and swollen. His voice was urgent as he spoke into the receiver too soft for me to hear what he was saying.

He lifted his head to find me staring back at him in confusion. He quickly ended his conversation and turned to me. His dark eyes pleaded with me.

"Bella, come sit down here," I never heard him so grave before. I complied and sat next to him at the kitchen table.

Charlie took a deep breath before he turned to me. "Something happened while you were gone. Jacob went missing about 26 hours ago."

My heart sunk to my feet. I felt my breath catch. Somehow, I knew it had to do with me marrying Edward. Once again, I caused Jacob pain. When was this ever going to stop? I would go on hurting him for the rest of our lives.

I sprung from my chair and headed out the door. "I'm going to La Push," I called back to Charlie.

I needed to find out what really happened. Charlie didn't know the whole story, obviously. Jake could never be kidnapped. He must have run away. I almost thought that maybe his disappearance was for the better between us. We might be able to heal faster. I immediately pushed the idea out of my mind. Jake didn't deserve to be apart from his family and friends. I did.

I drove to the little red house with my hands shaking on the wheel. I climbed out of my truck and ran as fast as I could to the door without stumbling and hurting myself. I did fall and thought that I deserved every scrape and bruise I got.

Billy was opening the door for me right when I got to it. His face was grave, but not worried. "Come in, Bella," he said in a raspy mutter.

"Billy, what's wrong? Is Jake alright? Where is he? When will he come back? I can't believe this is happening!" I blurted out as I sunk to the sofa.

"He's in Canada right now. He left his human form, so the pack has been keeping watch on him. He'll come back when he's ready, but that's not anytime soon for him." Billy stared blankly at the wall.

"Is there anything we can do?" I was desperate to help bring Jake back.

"No. He will come when he's ready."

I noticed that I had stayed my welcome and stood up and left the tiny house. I was getting into my truck when I was Seth Clearwater coming my way. He waved at me and smiled genuinely. I waved back tentatively.

"Hi Bella. Did you come because of Jake?" he asked.

I nodded my head yes. I didn't want to talk to Seth right then, even though he always lifted my spirits. He reminded me of Jake before all this happened. I fought back the tears. They came anyway, but just rested in my eyes, making my vision blurry.

Seth took my hand and patted it reassuringly. "Don't worry. I talk to him once in a while to make sure that he's doing fine. He just needs to be alone."

An idea hit me. I could check up on Jake through Seth. I looked back at him. Yes, he would be more than willing to help. After the battle with Victoria, Seth was eager to maintain his status of being a helpful grown wolf. I glanced at him, his too-young face. He was still a kid.

"Seth, will you do something for me?"

"Sure, Bella. What do you want?" he asked as he looked down at me. Did he grow again?

"Could you tell me if anything happens to Jake? I'm so worried about him." My voice broke as I said his name. I stared at the ground in humiliation that I had caused him to run away.

Seth was hesitant to answer. "Okay, Bella, but he's not going to like it. I just hope he doesn't find out."

"Thanks, Seth." I climbed into the truck before he could reply and drove away. I didn't want to give him any time to change his mind. I looked down at the clock. Holy crow! It was fifteen minutes after Edward said he would pick me up and I was in La Push. I immediately felt guilty. Edward would be frantic right now trying to find where I was. I remembered that my future was invisible when I went to La Push and I felt even worse. I was hurting everyone I loved. Again.

When I crossed the border I saw a silver Volvo parked on the side of the road. I broke out into sobs as I steered the truck over to come to a stop. I tripped out the door and fell into a pair of cold arms. I buried my head in his chest and clung to him as tight as I could. He squeezed back just as hard.

"Edward, I'm sorry! Charlie just told me that Jake was missing and I had to go to La Push to find out what happened. I should have waited for you!" I apologized into his shirt.

He sighed into my hair. "I know, love. Alice told me what happened." He breathed deeply, probably inhaling my scent. "I'm so sorry."

We stood there for a few minutes, lost in each other. I relaxed eventually. I couldn't help but feel safe and content in Edward's arms. He picked me up and walked over to his car. "We should go. I smell rain," he murmured in my ear. He placed me in the seat ever so gently and buckled my seatbelt before kissing my neck.

He held my hand strongly the whole way back to my house. His hand in mine was conversation enough. Once in a while he would kiss mine or brush his against my cheek. He didn't need to do that, though. His dark eyes told me that he had all the concern in the world for me.

He opened the door for me and helped me to my feet. Charlie must be inside, I thought, or else Edward would have carried me. I wrapped both arms around his waist and let him carry almost all of my weight.

We sat down on the sofa and Edward rubbed soothing circles in my back as I breathed deeply to suppress my sobs.

Charlie noticed us and came in worried. "Bella, what's wrong?" I looked up and regretted it when I saw his anxious eyes. He had enough to worry about. He didn't need a moody girl to deal with, too.

"I'm just tired from the trip, I guess," I lied. I didn't feel like talking to him right now. "I'm going to take a nap, okay Dad?"

"Okay," Charlie replied in a small voice. I could tell that he really didn't know what to do with me. He never dealt well with emotion.

I let Edward lead me up the stairs to my room. He stopped at the door and kissed my cheek softly and whispered, "I'll be back," before going back downstairs. He had to make Charlie see that he was leaving before he could stay with me.

I sat down on my bed and tried to believe what Billy and Seth told me. Jacob would be back. It was just a stage. At least he kept some connection with the pack. That had to mean that he was coming back.

Edward came through my window silently and laid me down on my bed. He stroked my hair lovingly and whispered comforting thoughts. I laid there telling myself that everything was going to be alright, hoping that it really would be.

**A/N: Oops! In my explanation, I said that Portillo's was in Berwyn. Wrong, it's in Forest Park. Also, I forgot to mention Jeri's popcorn reference. She's talking about Garrett's popcorn stores, a chain of two or three shops downtown. They are really good. Sorry for the mistakes! And as always, review please! I love to hear your opinions, whatever they may be!**

**--Loie**


	12. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: Maybe Stephenie Meyer will give me Twilight as a birthday present…I highly doubt that.**

The days flew by me. Before I knew it, August had arrived. The time was set, the invitations—including the last one—had been sent, the food ordered, the location booked—it was going to be in the Cullens' vast backyard. Alice already assured us that it would be a clear, starry night.

Time had not passed so quickly since the weeks before graduation. Before I knew it, I was waiting at the airport in Port Angeles. Jeri was coming a week before the wedding to meet the Cullens and help with any last minute decisions.

I smiled to myself. I had to admit I was looking forward to her arrival. To have another human around in a house of vampires would be a nice change. For the past two weeks, we had written to each other through email. I even received a postmarked letter from her. She explained that handwritten letters had a certain thrill to them that email didn't. I smiled again at the memory. Sometimes Jeri seemed like she belonged in a couple of generations ago.

She became my confidant. For the first time in two years, I could tell a human everything that happened in my life. It felt as if a huge weight was lifted off me. She understood everything I described to her and replied sincerely. I could almost see the creases of worry on her forehead as I told her about my wedding anxiety and Jacob's disappearance. I knew that she did not approve of him, but her response was only reassuring and comforting.

I saw her walk through the gate, scanning the small airport for Edward and me. Her eyes met mine and she beamed, walking at a brisk pace and dragging her suitcase behind her. She hugged me and Edward at the same time, squeezing us together as her strong arms wrapped around my shoulder and Edward's waist.

"It's so good to see you guys so soon," she exclaimed. "Only one week! It's so exciting." I could see her bright emerald eyes glisten with pride as she smiled at us. I sighed. She was such a romantic.

Her eager mood quickly diminished when we turned down the Cullens' driveway. Her eyes turned gray right under my gaze and her face lost all color. Even her hair dulled. "Edward, will they like me? Do they know about me and our correspondence? And you never really told me much about them except their 

talents and what they were like. No one is completely nice and welcoming." She started to breathe faster.

I felt like comforting her and laughing at the same time. Only a year and a half ago I was in her shoes. Going to meet a houseful of vampires, however welcoming they may be, could be stressful. I also, however, thought that if the Cullens could accept me as Edward's love, then they could accept Jeri as a distant relative.

"Don't worry, Jeri. They are all more than welcoming," I reassured her.

She scrutinized my face for a second before relaxing and leaning back in the seat. I could tell she took comfort in the fact she wasn't the first human to be affiliated with the Cullens.

We walked up the steps—Jeri was practically shivering in fear and her eyes wide—and into the house. I took her hand and squeezed it. Edward stood on the other side of her and patted her shoulder. She smiled back gratefully, but there was still nervousness in her eyes.

Carlisle and Esme met us at the door with warm smiles spreading their mouths wide. It reminded me of when I first came to the Cullens' house. They moved cautiously toward Jeri while introducing themselves and shook her hand. Jeri took a while to find her voice, but managed a "very nice to meet you," and the corners of her lips curled up tentatively.

Alice raced into the spacious room from the kitchen. She greeted me and Edward before turning to Jeri. She gave the stunned gurl a hug and began chattering, "I'm Alice, by the way. I'm so glad to finally meet you, Jeri. I've seen so much about you." She tapped her temple and winked.

Jeri's face lit up in recognition. "Oh, right. You can see the future."

Emmett and Jasper came inside from the back door and noticed Jeri staring up at them with wide eyes, probably horrified by their size. Emmett walked right up to her and shook her small hands in one of his. 

Jeri's whole arms shook up and down with her hands in Emmett's. "Great to see you, Jeri. Who knew that little Edward had some family still around." He stole a smirk to Edward, who rolled his eyes.

Jasper stayed where he was, a few feet away from Jeri. He nodded his head and said, "Nice to meet you."

My stomach growled loud and angry. I remembered that it was almost two o'clock and I hadn't eaten lunch. The heat rose to my face as everyone stared at me. I tried to draw the attention away from me and asked Jeri, "Did you eat lunch yet?"

She laughed at the irony of my question. "No, and I can hear you haven't either." She stared around the room, looking for a solution to our human problems. She leaned towards me to whisper to me, even though everyone could hear her anyway. "Um, where do we need to go to get food? I almost forgot that we're the only ones who eat."

"Don't worry, dear, we have some food in the kitchen that we keep around for Bella," replied Esme. "She visits so often that we just have a stock whenever she needs it." She turned to lead us into the kitchen.

I opened the cabinet and reached for the bread and peanut butter. "Do you like sandwiches?"

"Sure. Anything's good by me."

Edward walked in with Rosalie behind him. "Jeri, this is Rosalie." He threw a warning look at Rosalie before Jeri turned around to face them.

"Hi, Rosalie. Nice to meet you."

Rosalie eyed Jeri suspiciously. Another human around did not agree well with her. I felt sorry for Rose, knowing that she wanted to be human more than anything, but Jeri was starting to get nervous when no response came from her.

Jeri stuck out her hand for Rosalie to shake. It hung there for a few seconds before Edward made the quietest growl and Rosalie complied and took it in her own cold one. They shook once and Rosalie turned on her heel and walked out with superhuman grace and speed.

"Don't worry about Rosalie," I told Jeri. "She didn't even meet me the first time I came here. She's just jealous and wants to be human."

Jeri looked up at Edward. He nodded gravely. "We all do," he muttered in agreement.

"I understand." She stared down at the tile floor, lost in thought, and took a bite of her sandwich.

I felt guilty. No one wanted to be a vampire except for me, even Jeri. They all understood the value of humanity when I just wanted to spend the rest of eternity with Edward. I felt selfish. I was giving up everything that they valued but couldn't have. I shook the thought from my mind. Changing was the best solution, I told myself. I would do anything to spend forever with Edward if I could. Surely that counted for something. Then I remembered Jeri telling me that she would do the same. I sighed in relief at the memory. I wasn't the only human who would be willing to give her mortality for love.

Alice interrupted the silence by walking in. She didn't do this directly—she always walked silently—because Edward let out a frustrated sigh and growled, "Alice, don't hide your thoughts. What did you see?"

She seemed surprised. "How did you know? I was just going through a checklist of what we still needed for the wedding reception."

"Your thoughts are like your voice," Edward explained. "They sounded nervous and they were not lingering enough. Usually you are more distracted with other things. Now out with it."

She sat gracefully on the chair next to me and glanced at me. I immediately felt fear claw through me. Her golden eyes held worry, fear, and sympathy all at the same time. She took a deep breath and looked at Edward. He let out a soft impatient growl to hurry her.

"I saw the Denali clan coming. They want to come to the wedding," she confessed almost too softly for me and Jeri to hear. But we definitely heard it.

My mind started swimming. The Denali clan. Tanya. My breath caught and I started shaking. Why would they want to go to the wedding? Tanya was interested in Edward. She probably still was. Why would she want to see him get married to me? I could only think that she wanted to seek revenge. I shuddered again at the thought. I would be no match for a beautiful, strong vampire.

I felt familiar cold, strong arms around my waist, pulling me tightly towards the body I practically memorized every inch of. I burrowed my head in his neck and heard him whisper in my hair, "Don't worry. Nothing is going to happen. I won't let you out of my arms while they are here."

"That's the other vegetarian clan, isn't it?" Jeri's voice squeaked. Meeting even more people, human or vampire, was not going well for her.

"Yes. They won't hurt you, but they might not be as…pleasant to you and Bella as we are. They look down on humans, but respect them by feeding on animals." Alice patted Jeri's hand that was resting on the table. "Don't worry."

I gulped. I couldn't stop myself from worrying. "When will they be here?"

Alice pleaded with me with her eyes. "I'm sorry. I should have seen this coming, but they just finalized the decision. They will be here in two days."

**A/N: OK, guys, here's the deal. Today is my birthday. And do you know what I would LOVE? A review, of course! I would be ecstatic if I had one for every year (17) but let's be realistic. So tell me what you think so far, whatever it is, and make my day!**

**--Loie**


	13. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: If I owned Twilight, Edward would fall in love with me. But he loves Bella, so I don't own it.**

"What do you want on your omelet? We've got cheese, bacon, mushroom, peppers, onions, and ham," Jeri called from the stove. We were in my kitchen and she insisted on making me a nice breakfast. It was the morning before the Denali clan was coming and she wanted to help me calm my nerves, which was a little hypocritical because she was just as nervous as I was.

"Um…cheese and mushroom." I was too distracted with the thought of Tanya coming in less than five hours.

I watched her shaking hands add the condiments. She could keep her voice steady, but her hands told the truth. She let it cook while attending to the hashed browns that were on the other burner. I smelled the cooking potatoes as she brought them over and poured half of them on my plate.

"They might need a little extra salt and pepper," she suggested. "I never seem to add enough."

I took in the glorious scent of the food, trying to distract myself with my hunger. It didn't work. I took a bite of the scalding hashed browns and burnt my tongue in the process, but they tasted great all the same. She was right. They did need more salt and pepper. I reached across the table to grab them while Jeri came with the finished omelet, the whole pan vibrating.

After serving me, she sat down in the chair next to mine. She sighed and rested her head in her hands and watched me eat.

I looked up at her. "Aren't you going to make yourself something?"

"No. I'm too lazy," she replied with a grin tugging at the corners of her mouth. "And I'm a little too nervous about this afternoon. I think if I tried to make another omelet for myself, I'd spill it all over myself because of my stupid hands. They won't stop." She sighed, glaring down at her hands, which were shaking violently.

I laughed nervously at her reaction. "Do they always do that?"

"Unfortunately, yes. You should see me on the first day of school. I can't do anything!"

"What about when Edward and I came to visit you?" I couldn't help myself. My curiosity got the better of me.

She stared down at the table. "I could barely drive. I had to keep the wheel in a death grip," she laughed nervously. "But once I saw you, I got over it. You seemed just like what Edward described. I felt like I already knew you."

I laughed again. "At least people have to look down before you give yourself away. My blushes are where everyone looks."

Jeri gave me a devilish grin. "Or where everyone should look." She giggled behind her hand. "Sorry. I couldn't help myself."

I joined her giggling, surprised that she would say something like that.

We were interrupted by Edward walking silently into the kitchen, asking in his velvety voice, "What did I miss?" He didn't miss anything, I was sure, with his acute hearing and constant invasion of Jeri's thoughts. I blushed at the thought of him listening in on our awkward conversation. His lips pulled into that breathtaking crooked smile.

I stood up to meet him and stood on my tip toes and stretched my neck expectantly. I felt his cold lips against mine in a soft kiss. The room spun, but Edward kept me from falling by wrapping an arm around my waist. "Mmm…" I licked my lips as I pulled away, savoring his sweet taste.

I remembered that we had an audience and whirled around, blushing intensely. Jeri laughed at my embarrassment. She waved our behavior away with a flick of her trembling hand. "It's okay. I'm sure I would behave the same if I was in love."

Edward sat down in my chair and pulled me into his lap, his icy hands still around my waist. I leaned against his chest and sighed contently. I even forgot about the Denali clan until Edward mentioned them.

"The…others will be here at two," he said promptly. He then made eye contact with first Jeri and then me be for continuing. "We are going hunting for the rest of the morning. I am not letting you two out of my sight while they are here." His velvety voice deepened into a growl. "I'm taking you back to my house where Rosalie will watch you."

I stiffened. Me, Jeri and Rosalie were not a good combination. I prayed that things would go smoothly while everyone else was gone.

Jeri seemed tentative about being alone with Rosalie, too. Her gray eyes bulged with nervousness and her skin grew paler, if that was possible.

Edward looked entertained by our reactions. "Don't worry. I already talked to her. She will be on her best behavior." I could almost hear the smirk in his voice.

We drove to the Cullens' house, too fast as usual, and everyone was outside waiting for us.

"There you are! We've been waiting for ages," Emmett complained. "Come on, let's go." He grabbed Edward's arm and tried to drag him to the monstrous jeep, but Edward pulled out of his grasp.

"I will be back by 12:30." He told me and Jeri. He stepped closer to me and whispered in my ear, "I love you."

I shivered with delight. He kissed the corner of my jaw and joined the others in the car before it sped away.

We turned around to the house where Rosalie stood waiting for us. "Come in," she sighed, appearing bored out of her mind and a little frustrated that she got stuck with babysitting the humans.

She flopped down on the couch in front of the television. "So…what do you want to do?"

Jeri tried her best to put on a cheerful face and replied, "Oh, I don't mind. Do you have any preferences, Rosalie? Bella?" She clasped her hands together to stop them from shaking.

Rosalie's eyebrows raised in surprise. She wasn't expecting to be given a decision. "Do you want to watch a new movie Alice rented? It seems like a chick flick and we're all girls here." She shrugged.

"That's fine by me," I piped up. Rosalie was suddenly in a good mood and I didn't want to do anything wrong to change it.

We watched the whole movie in silence. The only sound bringing me back to the Cullens' living area was Jeri's occasional giggles and squeals to herself. But the quiet wasn't a bad one. I could feel the whole room relax when we watched the movie.

"That was so cute," Jeri commented after the ending credits appeared. "It could never happen, but still."

"I don't know, Jeri," I replied. "We are in a house owned by vampires. Any mythical happenings that are in the movies could be true for all we know."

She laughed in agreement. Even Rosalie smiled at the thought of the movie being a reality.

The door flung open and Edward ran inside and stopped right in front of us. His golden eyes were filled with fear and he stood protectively over us. "Are you okay? Did they come yet?"

The others walked in. Alice closed her eyes. "No. They won't be here for another fifteen minutes. I'm sure."

"You said that you were sure that they wouldn't be here until two!" Edward hissed.

"Yes, well, they didn't change their plans and cancel hunting until ten minutes ago," she said in her defense.

"Never mind," Carlisle broke in to keep the peace. "The important thing is that Bella and Jeri are safe and we are all here and well fed." It was true. Even though they were an hour early, all of their eyes were the lightest shade of gold, except for Rosalie's.

The next half hour was filled with tension. Edward sat on the couch between me and Jeri with each arm protectively over our shoulders. I snuggled into his chest and wrapped my arms around his waist. The others paced around the house nervously, stealing glances at me and Jeri.

A knock at the door echoed throughout the house. Everyone turned their heads to the door. Carlisle walked over to answer the door.

A group of five vampires entered. One was a man with jet black hair and was holding hands with a tall woman with the same color hair. Another was shorter with light brown hair that waved to her waist. Two others linked arms with her as if they were out strolling the town. One had dark red hair that curled around her chin and the other had long, voluminous strawberry blond hair.

My heart sunk as I recognized this detail. This was Tanya, the one who wanted, and probably still wanted, Edward. She was much taller than me and inhumanly beautiful. I gulped. I was no match for her.

"Carlisle! It has been so long!" the man exclaimed.

"Welcome, welcome!" Carlisle responded cordially.

Edward squeezed my shoulder to indicate that we should get up and join them. All three of us walked over to the reunion. Edward's arm held me firmly around my waist and Jeri walked cautiously behind him.

"Everyone, this is Bella, Edward's fiancée," Carlisle announced. "Bella, this is Eleazar and Carmen," he pointed to the dark-haired couple, "and Kate" motioning to the brunette, "Irina" the redhead "and Tanya."

Everyone smiled at me in greeting. Everyone, that is, except for Tanya. Her dark butterscotch eyes narrowed and scanned me up and down, probably looking for any flaws. I was full of them and she smirked to herself in satisfaction of my inferior self, but her eyes were like cold knives. I couldn't break the stare. Her eyes just bored holes into mine. I heard a soft hiss coming from Edward and Tanya's gaze flickered to him, which broke my trance.

Kate peered over Edward's shoulder. "Who is this?" she asked, referring to Jeri.

Edward caught Jeri's arm to bring her in front of him. "This is Marjorie. She's a friend of mine."

Tanya burst into laughter. "Another human girlfriend of yours, Edward?" she scoffed.

Edward ground his teeth. "No."

Carlisle quickly stepped in to avoid conflict. "Actually, Jeri is a distant relative. Her great-grandmother was Edward's cousin."

Irina shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Still fraternizing with family. When will you learn that the sooner you let go, the better?"

I shuddered at this. Soon I would be changed and have to leave my family forever. Even Edward wasn't able to break away after ninety years. Would I be able to handle it? Edward's tightening grip on my waist reminded me that I would always have someone to help me.

Tanya bent her knees to look at Jeri directly in the eye. "Aww…she's nervous. Look at her hands shake. Poor little human child," she teased as she patted Jeri's head.

Jeri bristled at her comment. Her eyes burned dangerously golden. "I'm not a child," she muttered.

Edward put a hand on her shoulder. This seemed to calm her down and he stepped backward beside him.

Esme motioned toward the living area. "Come, let us sit and catch up. It has been such a long time." Trust Esme to be the perfect, smiling hostess. Everyone relaxed at this offer, including me. I glanced over at Jasper. He was tensed up with all the emotion that was building up, but he gave me a small smile in admission.

We all sat down on the many sofas that were circled around the big screen plasma television. Edward and Esme sat on either side of Jeri, forming a protective barrier around her. She was taking deep breaths to try and calm herself. Jasper glared at her and she suddenly relaxed.

Everyone started their own conversations. Tanya talked with Rosalie, occasionally throwing me death glares. Irina and Alice caught up in a dramatic reunion occasionally exclaiming in excitement. Eleazar turned to Carlisle and Jasper and Kate talked with Emmett. It was still quiet, despite the numerous people talking at the same time. Their acute hearing kept their voices low.

Carmen turned to me, Edward, Jeri, and Esme. She smiled genuinely at me. Her butterscotch eyes hid nothing. "You two seem terribly happy together."

I nodded my head.

She leaned in toward us and her face fell into a frown. "Please try to ignore Tanya. She is still very jealous that he chose you. She does not think you are…suitable for him. She thinks she is better than you."

My heart fell to my ankles. Of course she was better than me. She was a strong, beautiful vampire and I was just a weak, small, ordinary human. It seemed like everyone realized this except for Edward.

Carmen reached over and grabbed my hands. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean that. I always seem to say the wrong things," she sighed. "No, you two are perfect for each other. I can see it in your eyes whenever you are near each other."

I subconsciously snuggled closer to Edward. It comforted me to be as close to him as possible. Carmen smiled, satisfied at my reaction.

She then turned to Jeri. "So Marjorie, how long have you known everyone?" she asked with a grin spreading across her mouth.

"Well, I have known Edward since I was about three, but I didn't know about his secret until I was ten. And I didn't meet anyone else until two days ago," she muttered to the floor.

"It's very nice to meet you," she replied. "I wish that I still knew some of my relatives." She chuckled. "Of course, at the age I am, they would be barely related to me. I probably wouldn't show up in their family trees."

I was confused. "What do you mean?"

She laughed again. "I am over a thousand years old. Everyone is," she replied.

I understood now. They were completely separated from humans. They only had each other for their family. Now they looked even more inhuman than before. No wonder Irina acted so condescending towards human family. They hadn't had that connection for a thousand years.

Carmen flipped back her long black hair. "So, are we allowed to come to the wedding? Tanya was demanding that we come no matter what. She needed to see that it was true, I suppose. I wanted to come, too, but I didn't want to intrude."

"That's up to Edward and Bella," Esme said. She turned towards me and Edward, relinquishing all power to us.

I looked up at Edward, horrified that I would have to make that decision. How could I say no? They were all stronger and could get whatever they wanted.

Edward turned his head down at me and scrutinized my face. He rubbed circles into my side with his thumb and kissed my head. "We will give you an answer tomorrow. We need to discuss it first," he responded, never taking his eyes off me.

Carmen just smiled sweetly. "Of course."

Tanya stood up and addressed everyone except me and Jeri. "We need to go hunting. We haven't feeded in a week and I would hate to risk the safety of Edward's humans." Her voice became high pitched and mocking toward the end. "Who will go with us?"

The Cullens were all hesitant to accept. There was an awkward silence before Jasper spoke up. "I will go. I need to be as well fed as possible, anyway." He shrugged.

"Thank you, Jasper," responded Eleazar.

Tanya walked over to Edward and grabbed his free hand, entwining her fingers in his. "Oh, won't you come with us, Edward? It will be so much fun with you there," she pleaded, her voice silkily seductive.

Edward took his hand away from hers. "No, thank you. As you can see, I am completely content with my thirst." His topaz eyes sparkled dangerously.

"Very well," she sniffed. She threw another death glare at me. "We will be back." She turned on her heel and followed the other Denalis and Jasper out the door.

Jeri furrowed her brow and frowned after they closed the door.

"Don't even speak what you are thinking," warned Edward. "They can still hear you."

A few minutes later, my curiosity got the better of me. "What were you thinking?" I asked Jeri.

A devilish grin spread across her face. "I was thinking, 'what a bitch.'"

**A/N: OK this is probably my last update for two weeks. I will be on vacation, so don't expect an update and send me hate mail because there isn't one. And, as always, the purple-ish button that says GO! is getting lonely. So give it some love and send me a review, however positive or negative!**

**--Loie**


	14. Chapter 13

**I'm baaack! Sorry it took so long. This was a painful chapter to write.**

**  
Disclaimer: When pigs grow wings and fly, I will own Twilight.**

Ten minutes after the Denalis and Jasper left, my phone rang. It was Charlie.

"Hello?"

"Isabella Marie Swan, where are you?" I heard Charlie's voice spit through the receiver.

"At the Cullens'. Why?" He already knew where I was. Even if I forgot to tell him this morning, it wouldn't be very hard to guess. I spent almost all of my spare time at their house. It was my second home.

"You are supposed to be helping hand out flyers helping with Jake's disappearance."

I cringed. For the past few days, I had been trying to avoid helping Charlie try and find Jake. It was useless. Everyone but him understood that. Not only was it a lost cause, but it still hurt to remember that the only reason he left was because I had made him unhappy. I couldn't bear the guilt that came along with that realization.

"I'll be at the station in ten minutes," I spoke softly. I heard the other line click dead. The whole room was silent and all eyes were on me. They all heard the conversation. It was so loud that I thought even Jeri heard it.

"Um, I got to go," I muttered, staring at the floor. "I have to go help Charlie put up fliers for Jake."

"I'll go with you," Jeri offered. She put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed it gently. Her blue eyes sparkled at me with sympathy.

I smiled weakly at her. "Thanks, but you don't have to. We all know that it's not going to help and I know you don't really approve of Jacob."

She shrugged in agreement. "Yeah, but you can't just go alone."

"I will come with you too, Bella, if you want me to," said Edward, leaving the decision completely up to me.

I took his hand in mine and laced our fingers together. "Thanks."

Edward drove us to the station in five minutes. The whole time he kept his topaz eyes on me and would occasionally lift our entwined hands up to kiss mine lovingly. Jeri looked out the window at the green scenery rushing past us.

We walked in and asked the receptionist for Chief Swan. She recognized me as his daughter and brought us to the back where his office was. For once the station looked alive. Phones were ringing and officers were not half asleep with nothing to do. I assumed that this was Charlie's doing in his determination to find Jacob.

Charlie was seated behind his desk. Worry was etched into his brow, but his brown eyes shone with frustration. I felt guilty as I watched him sift through the mounds of papers piled in his desk. No one was determined to help find Jacob, not even the Quileutes.

The receptionist gave an impatient cough to catch Charlie's attention. He looked up dazed, his mind still preoccupied for a moment.

His eyes met mine and hardened. "There you are, Bella," he addressed me gruffly. "Now, I want you to go to La Push and Port Angeles to post these." He handed me a heave stack of flyers. Jacob was staring blankly at me in the picture. I had to look away in order to push the lump back down my throat.

Edward's arm draped across my shoulders and squeezed me to his side. "Of course, Charlie. We'll be back by ten."

Charlie's gaze darted to Edward and narrowed. He still didn't approve of us getting married, let alone dating. "Not a minute after," he growled.

I assumed this as a good-bye, but before I could escape Charlie and follow Edward and Jeri out of the office, I was stopped.

"Hold on a minute, Bells."

I cringed and turned around to face him. I caught Jeri mouth "outside" before she attempted to drag a hesitant Edward out with her. He took the hint and complied.

Charlie took a deep breath, preparing himself. I groaned inwardly. I could tell by the uneasy look on Charlie's face that he was about to start another awkward conversation that I didn't want to have. Wonderful. Why did he feel compelled to torture both of us?

"What's wrong with you lately? Your best friend is missing and you don't seem the least bit interested in finding him. You should be worried. I should have to stop you from going off and finding him yourself. Doesn't Jacob's life matter to you?"

I could feel that lump rise again in my throat and my eyes stinging. Charlie did a perfect job of making me feel guilty. Of course I cared about Jacob. I cared so much that it haunted me at night. Edward tried to relieve my guilt, but nothing worked. Not even him singing my lullaby the whole night.

It killed me inside to know that this was all because of me. I was the reason he ran away.

And everyone knew that except Charlie.

I breathed in to keep my voice steady. "Yes, Dad, I care. It's just that it seems like I can't do anything to help." This was true. No matter how much Seth pleaded for my sake and everyone else's, Jake wouldn't come back.

"Oh, Bells…" He moved in his seat as if to get up and attempt to comfort me. But, being the reliable and awkward Chief Swan, he thought better of it and stayed in behind the desk. "Every bit helps," he assured me.

I gave in and kept up the charade. "Thanks, Dad," I said with a forced smile that I hoped looked genuine. Before he could say anything else, I left with my stack of flyers.

I was met outside by a cold arm around my waist. I let it pull me into the cold chest it was attached to and wrap tightly around me. I leaned into him, letting him support all my weight. My arms gripped him back as if they never wanted to let go, which they didn't. I was at home in Edward's arms and I would never feel complete anywhere else.

His cold, marble lips kissed away my silent tears until they found mine. They were careful, as always, but also pleading and sympathetic. Typical Edward. He was always concerned and even distraught if something made me unhappy.

My mouth responded to his sweet kisses, showing him that I was fine. Of course, I was always more than just fine when I was with Edward. He pulled away too soon for my liking and eyed me with a mesmerizing golden stare, searching for any sadness. Finding none, he kissed my forehead lightly and led me with his arm securely around my waist to the car where Jeri was waiting.

Jeri opened her mouth to speak, but was silenced by Edward with a warning look. She closed her mouth, thought of something better and tried again. "Are you okay, Bella?" She grabbed my hand and patted it. "You know, nobody blames you. Just ask Edward," she suggested with a grin.

I had to smile back. Jeri's brightness was infectious. I wondered what her reject comment was, though.

Edward turned on the radio to try to take my mind off of Charlie and Jacob and flipped the dial to an oldies station. Jeri immediately caught on and snagged me as her teammate. We lost miserably. I was barely any help at all and it took Jeri so much concentration just to think of the song title and its singer that she forgot to block Edward with other thoughts.

"I can't help it if you shout it in your head," he argued after Jeri protested. A smirk played on his lips.

"That's the third song you stole and you know it!"

"I'm not denying it," he reminded her.

"Ugh!" she threw her arms up in exasperation. "This _so _isn't fair! I should be the one who can read minds. You've already lived through the 50s. I wasn't born til 40 years later!"

Edward chuckled at her ranting. "yes, but it has been 50 years since these songs were first released. I forget things," he replied too innocently. He was playing mental games with her and really entertaining himself. Chances were that what was going on in Jeri's mind was only scratched by what she was saying. I had to admit that I was giggling quietly beside him, too.

"Yeah, like hell you do!" She folded her arms across her chest and slumped back in her seat. She looked so much like a frustrated little four year-old that I burst out laughing. Jeri eyed me questioningly and cocked an eyebrow, which made me laugh harder. I heard her mumble something to herself that included the phrase "crazy teenagers" as she shook her head and smiled to herself.

Edward pulled over to the side of the road when we arrived at the invisible reservation boarder that only the Cullens and the Quileutes seemed to see. Worry creased his brow and frowned in the general direction of La Push. He hated the fact that he had to leave me and Jeri alone in werewolf territory.

He hugged Jeri tightly and kissed me passionately. It was as if he thought we were not coming back.

"Now, Seth will be waiting for you in town," Edward instructed. "If there is anything wrong, call me. Please hurry back. I can't stand to not be there for you."

He turned to Jeri. "I will be listening, Marjorie. Come back if you think anything is wrong."

Jeri sighed and rolled her eyes. "Edward, come on. Don't you trust us? We'll be fine." Her voice was even and relaxed, but I could see her eyes turn to a fierce gold and her jaw set.

"It's the dogs I don't trust," he growled.

I got in the driver's seat and turned the car on, signaling Jeri to give up trying to assure Edward of our safety and get in. She huffed out a breath and muttered, "What are we going to do with him?" when we drove away. She smirked at me, knowing that Edward heard her thoughts.

Seth met us at the town's outskirts, a wide grin spread across his face. "Hi Bella! How are you? It's been so long since you visited."

"It's nice to see you, too, Seth. But you know that I'm not everyone's favorite person around here." Sometimes Seth was so childishly ignorant. I wanted him to stay that way.

He waved away my last comment. "They won't do anything. And if they try, I'll stop him," he pledged, standing as straight as he could and sticking out his chest proudly.

I laughed softly. "Okay. So, where do we put these?" I held out the flyers for him to see.

Seth furrowed his brow in thought. "Um, I don't know. We'll find somewhere round this place." He looked around me at Jeri standing a few yards back, glaring warily with her golden eyes. "Who is this?" 

He asked me. "She's not another one of them, is she? Bella, you know that violates the treaty." He glanced around nervously, probably looking for any witnesses.

I was a little relieved that Seth had made the same assumption that I did. Maybe I wasn't such an idiot. But I knew that Jeri had heard Seth and I looked back to see her eyes becoming a darker butterscotch that looked very glassy. I put my arm around her and brought her up to meet Seth.

"No, she's not, Seth. Use your nose," I snapped back defensively. "This is Marjorie. She's Edward's distant relative from Chicago. She's here to come to the wedding."

Seth sniffed the breeze and relief washed over his face. He then turned crimson and looked down at the floor ashamed. "Oh, sorry. Nice to meet you, Marjorie. I'm Seth." He held out his hand.

Jeri stared at it for a moment before taking it in hers. "Call me Jeri. And don't worry about thinking I was a vampire." She grinned mischievously at me. "Bella thought the same thing."

Seth whipped his head at me. "Really? Dang, that's crazy. Maybe you were meant to be a vampire." He chuckled, only to realize that we weren't laughing with him.

He stopped abruptly. "Sorry, guys. I guess my mouth is goin' faster than my mind."

Jeri clapped her hands to break the awkward silence. "So, let's get started. Where to?" She asked Seth.

Seth brightened up immediately, relieved to have a job that was easy to accomplish. "Follow me," he said with a grin.

We walked around La Push, posting our signs everywhere we could. I knew Charlie would visit Billy soon and examine my efforts, so I had to make it convincing. Fortunately, tensions lifted between Seth and Jeri and we all began to converse freely. I tried to ignore the death stares shot at my by some of the residents.

As we headed back to Edward's car, I asked Seth about any news about Jacob. I had to know if he was still alright. Or as alright as you can be alone in northern Canada, run away from home.

Seth sighed. "He's fine, I guess. He's surviving and all. But he's not coming back, or at least not anytime soon. I'm sorry, Bella."

The finality in his voice told me to drop the subject. "Okay, Seth. Thanks. Well, we'd better be going."

"Yeah, Edward'll have a cow if we don't get back soon," Jeri quipped, her eyes more of a relaxed brown than gold. "Literally."

That sent us all into fits of laughter. I could see Edward stressed out uselessly and take his anger out on an unsuspecting cow.

"See ya later, Bella," Seth managed between fits of laughter. "And say hi to Edward and all the Cullens for me. I'll try to visit soon. It's just that Sam's got us on double duty watch lately. Says there's more of them."

I immediately felt guilty. I hadn't thought that the pack would know that there were guests. That would push them to strengthen their watch. Seth did look more tired than usual.

I grimaced. "Sorry. They're…potential wedding guests. But you can tell Sam that they're vegetarians, like the Cullens."

"Will do, but I don't think Sam'll lighten it up." He sighed. "Oh, well. I'll at least see you at the wedding."

"Right," I replied. I gave Seth a hug, which he responded with crushing force. I could hear a couple of vertebrae crack.

"Oops. Bye, Bella. And nice to meet you, Jeri."

Jeri nodded her head and smiled. "You too."

We drove away to the border where a pacing Edward was waiting. He didn't look up until we were both out of the car. He came over at vampire speed and gave us both a big, tight hug.

"How long does it take to put up a few signs?" he whispered in my ear. "You had me worried sick."

I reached up to stroke his cheek. "I'm sorry. But we were very safe with Seth as our escort."

"Yeah, Edward, and weren't you listening the whole time, too?" Jeri shot at him with raised eyebrows.

"Your thoughts provided me no reassurance whatsoever," he growled.

Jeri sighed and hugged him around the waist. "C'mon. Lighten up and get in the car so we can go and get this over with. I don't wanna be runnin' around all night in some random town putting up flyers. Right, Bella?" She turned to me, probably to get a supporter on her side.

"Right."

Edward sighed and muttered something about women as he got into the driver's seat. Jeri and I climbed in and we sped off to Port Angeles.

**A/N: So, I guess this is becoming my version of Breaking Dawn. That OK by you? Tell me! And anything else about the story that came to mind. Love, hate, I take it all! And you know how you can? If you send me a review! Also, I would love you guys if you were to check out my one-shot, Wishful ****Dreaming, and review for me. Oh, and good luck to all the athletes in the Olympics! I hope you readers' countries are successful. **

**--Loie**


	15. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: TWILIGHT IS NOT MINE!!**

"Bella, am I going to have to pry you away from him?!"

Edward held me even closer, his arms like iron chains binding me to him. But who was complaining? Oh, right. Alice was.

"Bella, it's almost six o'clock! You know the rules! No seeing each other for a day before the wedding." Alice was absolutely frantic now.

I heard Jeri snicker behind her, watching the whole scene safely by the door of Edward's bedroom. I agreed with her choice of position. She might not get far if she needed to avoid Alice, but at least she wouldn't get caught in a corner.

"It's not funny!" Alice snapped. "You could help, you know."

"I don't think I'd do much good," she replied.

"Ugh! Rose, tell these two loved-obsessed fools that they need to separate."

"They still have five minutes before it's six, Alice."

"Fine!" I heard her storm out of the room. "Five minutes and then I'll get Emmett and Jasper to help me. And you know they will."

Edward groaned into my hair. Along with Alice and Rosalie planning a bachelorette party, Emmett and Jasper had planned an equally painful night for Edward. They wouldn't tell me what they were doing, but the promised me that they wouldn't go to any strip clubs or things like that.

I felt both my body and Edward's relax when I heard the door shut. Edward led me to the bed, his arms still firmly around me. He leaned away so he could tilt my chin up with a cool hand so I had to look at him. His topaz eyes smoldered dangerously.

"I thought they will never leave," I muttered, trying to distract myself from his eyes. It didn't work.

"Alice had a vision that she would steal you anyway, so she thought she might as well give in."

My heart was pounding furiously and my breathing stopped. His eyes were just too beautiful. Edward smirked, seeing my dazzled state clearly written on my face. Those topaz eyes burned even more, if that was possible. He leaned closer to me, painfully slow and stopped only about an inch away from me. I felt his cool breath blow on my face and I was dizzy with the intoxicating scent. He was investigating my resistance to him. It was a horrible test and I failed miserably. I flung my arms around his neck, knotted my fingers in his messy bronze hair, and kissed him furiously.

He chuckled as he pulled away. "I thought you could hold on for longer than that, Bella," he teased, a smug smirk spread across his face. He was obviously pleased with the effect he had on me. Why couldn't I be that seductive?

I puckered my brow and stuck out my bottom lip. "Why did you stop?" I whined. He had only let me kiss him for a couple of seconds. I wasn't satisfied yet.

He touched my protruding lip with a long, white finger. "You're adorable when you pout."

I grinned in triumph.

Alice burst into the room. "Alright, time's up!" She was flanked by a grinning Emmett and Jasper. "You," she pointed to me, "you're mine for the next 24 hours. Let's go."

She marched up to us, grabbed my wrist, and yanked me off the bed and out the room. She didn't stop until we were safely in her bedroom. Jeri and Rosalie sat waiting on giant bed that was in the center of the room.

"What are we doing, Alice?" Jeri asked. She seemed just as wary as I felt.

"First we're going out to dinner with Renee and Esme. I figured that we should spend a little time with them, especially since Renee hasn't seen Bella in a long time. And then," she flashed an ultrawhite devilish smile, "the real fun begins."

Alice grabbed my wrist and led me out the hall, not pausing for even a millisecond so I could sneak a glance at Edward, and down the stairs. Carlisle and the Denalis were sitting around the big screen television watching the Discovery channel, still as statues. Esme and Renee were at the dining room table, immersed in a deep conversation.

I exhaled a sigh of relief. Renee had come in yesterday with Phil. I was worried that she would be just as wary as Charlie, but she accepted the marriage better than I'd dreamed when I first broke the news to her. She immediately embraced the Cullens as family and became very attached to Esme. One less family tension to worry about.

Alice cleared her throat to get their attention. "We're leaving now," she announced. "Esme, Renee, are you ready to go?"

Both women sprang up from their chairs and hurried to us. Renee was so excited that she practically skipped.

"Have fun ladies," Carlisle called. Everyone else smiled and uttered their good-byes. Even Tanya. After spending time with us and realizing that the Cullens, particularly Edward, were serious about me and Jeri as a part of their family, they were much friendlier. Hunting didn't hurt, either.

After seeing this change, I decided that they could stay for the wedding. Carmen was absolutely thrilled. Tanya and her sisters seemed indifferent. I think they were more concerned about breaking up the wedding rather than attending it. But they accepted all the same.

We all piled into Rosalie's convertible. Alice had wanted to drive her car, but because someone would have to sit on a lap, Rosalie overruled her, giving the very good excuse that Alice was the shortest and lightest by far. So she sat on Esme's lap with me and Jeri on either side and Renee with the spacious front seat.

We had reservations for the finest restaurant in Port Angeles. Of course, this was no five star restaurant, to my great relief. Alice had wanted to go to Seattle or Olympia where the selection was much better, but there was no time for that in her busy schedule for the night. So we were left with La Bella Italia.

Dinner was nothing eventful. Everyone chattered about the wedding and the reception. Alice had all the decorations, tables and chairs and tomorrow the boys were going to set up. Not like it would take them long. Of course I was not allowed to see anything. I smiled to myself. That would be a little hard when the house's back wall was complete glass. Then I remembered the protective shield they had for it. Oh well.

Renee kept glancing over at me and smiling. She was so happy for me, even though she didn't see the point of hurrying. Only I saw the point. Nineteen was a four letter word for me.

Alice rushed us out once we were done eating dessert. If she was this excited, I could only dread what she had in store for me.

We dropped of Renee at her hotel and hurried back to the house. Emmett's monstrous Jeep was missing from the garage, so there was no hope of seeing Edward. I missed him like half of my body, mind and soul were gone. Alice was going to pay for the pain she was putting me through.

Jeri and I were rushed up the stairs and into Alice's room. I heard Esme call "Have fun girls" from the living room. Yeah, right.

Alice's room was set up for the party. There was an array of nail polish on a table along with manicure and pedicure tools. Bean bags were surrounding the large T.V. and a stack of chick flicks were beside it. I let out a very audible sigh of relief. I could deal with doing nails and watching movies.

Jeri, however, wasn't as okay. "You guys, I don't do nail polish. It's kind of my M.O." She eyed the rainbow of pinks and reds warily like they were going to attack.

"Oh, come on, Jeri. Get in the spirit of the party," pleaded Alice.

"Fine. Just give me a transparent color."

Rosalie did all of our nails more expertly than the best human manicurist. She gave herself and Alice a deep burgundy, Jeri a pearly, almost clear pink—Jeri expressing her distaste with an "Ugh!"—and me a French tipped clear. Rosalie and Alice wanted to give me color, but figured that nothing would really match the white dress. I couldn't believe my luck. Jeri flashed me a jealous glare.

"So what movie are we watching first?" I asked, examining the DVD cases. I sensed a lot of crying in my immediate future.

Alice giggled and Rosalie smirked dangerously. My heart sank to my feet. "No, silly," Alice managed in between laughing fits. "That's until later when you're almost ready to fall asleep. We're playing truth or dare first!" She clapped her ands and squealed. Rosalie chuckled quietly.

Jeri's face went from rosy and tanned to vampire white in one second flat. Her hazel eyes drained color to a light gray. Even her brown hair darkened and dulled. She could feel the danger, too.

"Isn't truth or dare a little juvenile?" Jeri squeaked, trying to get Alice to change her mind.

"Nope. It's perfect."

Rosalie noticed our reactions and sighed. "Okay, I'll go first. And I want a dare. Do your worst, Jeri."

Jeri turned her head and blinked in surprise, woken up from her panicked trance. "Hmm…" Then her face light up and smiled mischievously. "Okay, Rosalie. I dare you to eat human food." Her evil grin broadened across her face. She obviously knew how much vampires were repulsed by human food.

Rosalie's confident expression vanished. Alice giggled. "Bet you didn't expect that, Rose," she teased.

Rosalie sighed and her golden eyes narrowed. "What do you want me to eat?" she forced through clenched teeth.

"My leftovers from dinner."

We went downstairs and retrieved the box of spaghetti. "Just one bite. I won't torture you too much," said Jeri.

Carlisle, Esme, and the Denalis had gathered around the table in the kitchen. They must have been listening to our game. Their eyes were glittering with anticipation as they watched Rosalie wince as she took a bite of the spaghetti. She chewed quickly twice and swallowed forcefully. The disgust was written plainly on Rosalie's face, which sent everyone roaring with laughter. Rosalie just scowled at us all.

"Your turn will come, Marjorie," Rosalie growled softly. This sent Jeri to abruptly stop her giggling.

"Alright Jeri. Truth or dare?" Alice asked when we sat back down in her room.

"Truth."

"Truth…Okay, tell us your most embarrassing moment," ordered Rosalie. She wanted her revenge.

Jeri immediately blushed scarlet. "Um, when I was twelve I accidentally walked into the boys' bathroom during passing period. And it was crowded with guys I all knew. They wouldn't stop talking about it for a month. It was horrible." She covered her face with her hands in shame.

All three of us took sharp intakes of breath. "Wow," I whispered. "What did you do?"

"I ran."

We sat in silence for a moment, no one knowing what to say next.

Alice decided to end the awkward moment. "Bella, it's your turn. Truth or dare?"

"Truth." I would not take my chances with Alice's imagination.

"Okay. Tell us your worse gym moment."

That took me a while to decide. There were so many to choose from. "Well, when I was in Phoenix, we were playing floor hockey my sophomore year. I was trying to pass the puck to a teammate, but I swung the stick too high and hit a guy behind me in the crotch, slapped the puck so that it hit my teammate in the head, hit my own head with the stick, and slipped and fell on someone trying do defend against me."

I looked up to find the three of them all staring at me with large eyes and slightly open mouths. Then Alice and Rosalie laughed hysterically.

"How embarrassing," Jeri muttered.

"Yeah. The whole class hated me from then on and never came closer than twenty feet to me."

After Alice went and told us her greatest irrational fear was of chimpanzees because of a book she read, we decided to end the game. It was already eleven at night and I my eyelids were getting heavier by the second. I heard Jeri release a huge yawn.

Rosalie chose to watch _Hitch_ and we settled down on the beanbags. "A nice lighthearted romantic comedy. Perfect for tonight," she reasoned as she popped in the DVD.

Jeri was immersed in the story right away. She awed in all the right places and smiled the whole time. What a romantic.

I only got halfway through the movie when I gave up and closed my eyes. To my surprise, I wasn't nervous for tomorrow. The way I saw it, I was already bound to Edward. The wedding was just making it official for everyone else. Edward was more than a fiancée or husband to me. He was my soul mate, my other half. I found myself when I met him. There was nothing to be nervous or worried about. Tomorrow I would finally be his and he mine. I sighed contently at the euphoric thought and lost myself in a blissful sleep.

**A/N: Another slow one, I know. But next chapter is the wedding! Brace yourself, it will be a doozie. And, as always, reviews are greatly appreciated!**

**--Loie**


	16. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: Steph says "I own Twilight, yes I do. I own Twilight, how about you?" and I say "Nope!"**

I woke up in a different place than when I fell asleep. It was my room in Charlie's house. I then realized that I hadn't spent my last night with him. I made a vow to himself that I would use up the remainder of the morning to get some last minute bonding with him. Alice wasn't coming for me until noon.

I stumbled downstairs after cleaning up and dressing to find Charlie waiting for me in the kitchen. He had attempted to cook me breakfast. Luckily, he didn't try anything past his limits and kept to fried eggs.

"Hey,Bells! So today's the big day. How do you feel?" He greeted me with a crinkly-eyed smile. I decided that it was genuine.

"A little jittery," I admitted. "I've got butterflies." An involuntary smile crept up on my face. I was really…excited.

"Well, everyone gets those. Maybe some breakfast will help settle your stomach." He piled some eggs and burned toast on my plate.

"Thanks, Charlie."

He let me eat my eggs in peace while he cleaned everything up. The whole time I could feel him looking at me out of the corner of my eye. Not glaring, just looking.

I brought my plate and cup over to the sink to join the other dirty dishes. Charlie stopped washing and turned to me, placing his wet hands on my shoulders. This caught me off guard. He wasn't a really touchy person. His brown, crinkly eyes gazed into mine in a gentle way.

"Bells, I've been thinking for the past few days," he started out slowly. "I've really been trying to watch you, see how you felt about today. And every time, I see you just glow radiantly." He chuckled and 

shook his head. "Whenever you're with that boy, there's something in your eyes, the way you look at him, that almost breaks my heart. My little girl has another man in her life and I guess I was jealous.

"And then I looked at that Cullen kid more carefully. I saw that same look that you give him reflected in everything he does. Even the way he moves when he's with you, it's all centered around you. I've never seen someone so devoted before," he admitted. "And I guess if you two are happy, even though I still think that you are way too young, then I should be happy. And I am." His eyes began to well up as he smiled at me and pulled me into a hug.

I didn't know what to say. I was finally getting Charlie's blessing. I hugged him back and whispered "Thanks, Dad."

We spent the remainder of the morning together in the kitchen. Charlie brought out his photo album—which I had no idea that he had—of pictures of me and Renee before and after we left for Phoenix. I saw a summary of the eighteen years of my life catalogued in this book that Charlie fingered so carefully. He still hadn't completely let go of Renee and I knew that it was devastating to him to let go of me.

I heard a tap tap at the door and a musical voice call, "Anyone home?"

Alice danced into the kitchen and peered over my shoulder to examine the album. "Oh, how sweet, Charlie. You did this for Bella's whole life?"

"Hey, Alice." Charlie reached over to give her a one-armed hug. He still was enamored by Alice's charm. "Yeah, it's always been something to keep up on. She grows up so fast." He gave me a watery smile.

All I could do was blush in return.

"Are you ready to go, Bella?" Alice was practically vibrating she was bouncing so fast. "We have lots of work to do."

I looked at Charlie pleadingly. All I got was a laugh of pity. "Have fun, girls," he called as Alice dragged me by the wrist and out the door. "I'll meet you in a few hours, Bells."

I looked back to see Charlie return to the pictures, lost in the past.

**XXXX**

"Come on, Bella. Hold still! And you can't scrunch your eyes like that."

I glowered at Alice, who was hovering over me armed with an eyeliner pencil. Rosalie was silently doing my hair and Jeri was watching horrified from the doorway.

"I'm sorry. I'm just a little fidgety today," I explained. Jeri gave a wistful smile, knowing that I was anxious for the wedding.

Alice sighed. "You'll see Edward soon enough. Now, just hold still."

I let Alice and Rosalie finish up silently. There was no hope in complaining because they would never compromise, as I knew only too well. I hopped off the stool they had in the bathroom as fast as I could, eager to get away.

"Wait," cried Alice. "Don't you want to see yourself before you ruin it all by crying?"

"No, she should wait till she has the dress on and everything so she can see the full effect," interjected Jeri.

"Fine. You're next, Jeri."

"Oh, no. You're not gettin' me to wear any make-up." She backed away and put her hands up defensively.

"Sorry, Jeri. There's no hope for you escaping them," I admitted. "Better to just give in and get it over with."

"That's right," agreed Alice with a smug grin.

"Fine," she huffed.

We all finished getting ready—I took the longest by far—and before I knew it, we only had thirty minutes before the ceremony. My heart was pounding heavily in my chest. I looked at the three girls standing before me. Alice wore her blue bridesmaid dress, Rosalie a bright red halter, and Jeri a forest green sundress. They all looked so beautiful. I wondered how I could remotely compare to them.

As if she heard my thoughts, Alice whispered, "Oh, Bella. You look so beautiful. Edward's going to be speechless. Come on. Time to see the finished product." She clapped her hands with glee and turned me to the full length mirror on the inside of her closet door.

A dark haired beauty looked back at me, appearing as bewildered as I felt. Her hair was curled softly and piled on top of her head elegantly. Her face was highlighted with all the right shades of make-up, accentuating her large chocolate brown eyes and full lips. Her beautiful twentieth century gown hugged her curves perfectly and flowed away from her hips gracefully. I couldn't believe that this striking young woman staring at me was myself.

Alice squealed. "Yay! I knew you'd like it."

I heard footfalls from the hallway that traveled into the room where they stopped abruptly. I turned around to find Renee frozen in the threshold.

"Are you girls ready? We only have twenty minutes." Then her eyes found me and immediately glittered with forming tears. "Bella, you are so beautiful. You have transformed into the young lady I always knew you would be." She walked over as if in a trance and embraced me tightly. "Oh, my baby. I'm so happy for you. I know you'll be happy. I can feel it." She let out all her emotions and I could feel her tears on my neck. I held her close and enjoyed the moment.

When she finally let go, she held my shoulders at arm's length to examine me more carefully with a proud smile. "You really are ready, aren't you? I suppose that you have always been ready to give your life to this boy. You are, after all, more middle aged than teenaged." She laughed quietly at her pun.

I nodded eagerly and smiled. I was more than ready.

Renee put a hand up to my cheek and stroked it lovingly. "No matter what, you'll always be my little girl. Now, go get your man." She grinned at me and took my hand to lead me downstairs.

Charlie was waiting at the bottom for me. He looked handsome in his tux, but he was still awkward as ever. I could see his eyes welling with tears as he looked at me. I gave him a shy smile back, my face heating up in a fierce blush.

"Bella…you are the most beautiful bride I have ever seen," he murmured.

"Hey!" protested Renee, giving him a playful slap on the arm. "But she is," she agreed after a moment.

"C'mon, Renee, it's time to take our seats," urged Jeri as she, Alice and Rosalie came from outside where everyone sat waiting for the ceremony to begin. Everyone, including Edward.

"Oh, alright," she gave in and let Jeri and Rosalie lead her out of the house and into the backyard. The Cullens had put up the protective shield on the back wall of the house, so I could not see them once they went outside. Nor could anyone see me.

Suddenly, Alice stuck her head in the room, her face lighted up but concerned at the same time. "Bella, there's someone here to see you."

I had no idea what she was talking about, or whom. "Um, okay."

She disappeared and I heard her say something to this visitor. Something about not having much time before the wedding would start. She reappeared with her guest in tow.

Jacob Black.

I gasped so loudly I was sure even Edward could have heard it. I had no idea that he even received an invitation. I thought I told Edward and Alice that I didn't want him to make that decision. And then he was in Canada almost all summer, with no thought of returning. I thought I'd lost him forever.

But here he was, my best friend, coming to wish me all the best. I could tell by the grin on his face.

"Bells, it's so good to see you," he said in his husky voice. He pulled me into a great bear hug.

"Jake," my voice reached up an octave, "you came."

"Yeah, I had to come to wish my best friend off. I may not like it, but if it is what makes you happy…then I'm happy that you're happy."

"When did you decide to come?" I was wondering if even Seth and Billy knew that he came back.

He shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe yesterday morning. You should've seen the look on everyone's faces! It was like they saw a ghost." He flashed a toothy grin, his shaggy black hair falling in his face. I did notice that he looked cleaned up and had dressy clothes. He must have gone back.

"I'm so happy you came. Now everyone I love is here." I gave him another squeeze around the waist.

I thought I saw him give the tiniest hint of a grimace, but I could have been wrong.

"Um, I gotta go, Bells. Alice said I only had a few minutes to talk to you. Good luck and don't trip while you're drooling over that bloodsucker of yours."

I was about to protest about his name for Edward, but he gave me a wink, letting me know that he was only teasing. He turned and walked out the door to join the rest of the guests.

Charlie came up and put an arm around my shoulder. "You're lucky to have such a good friend like Jake."

I nodded in agreement.

"Are you nervous?"

"Only that I'll lose my concentration and fall flat on my face. Or that I'll forget my vows." Edward and I decided to make up our own vows, considering the uniqueness of our relationship. We also agreed to not share them with each other until the wedding.

Charlie laughed. "Don't worry. I'll catch you."

I raised my eyebrows, challenging the credibility of his statement. I would have better luck with Edward running down the aisle at vampire speed to catch me. And of course I knew he would.

I heard Rosalie play the piano that was brought outside for the wedding. My heart started sprinting in my chest, beating very audibly.

Alice flitted to the door. "That's my cue," she said as she opened the door and began to dance down the aisle. Being a good sport, I let the door close, but I was very tempted to keep it open to peek outside. Alice would know, though, and I'd never hear the end of her disappointment.

The music changed to the bridal march. "You ready, Dad?"

"Whenever you are, Bells." He gave me a kiss on the cheek. "I love you."

I took his arm and walked out the door.

**A/N: I'm so sorry! I promised drama and I didn't even get to the good part. This was just a great place to stop and I told some that I'd update today. It took so long to write this and I have been delayed by family visits. Sorry! The rest of the wedding and the reception will come next chapter, which I will get up as fast as I can. And with that, the real drama. Review if you like. I understand if you want to shun me, though. A million apologies again!**

**--Loie**


	17. Chapter 16

**OK, guys. This is the rest of the wedding and some of the reception. Sorry it's taking so long. Also, I apologize for any coincidental similarities that the rest of my story has with Breaking Dawn. Honest to God, I thought of it before I read the book. No joke. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, but when I make my millions, I'll buy it. **

Everyone in their seats turned to face me. Not Charlie, just me. I could feel their eyes on me and my blushing response heating my face.

Alice had really done a good job. She rented white folding chairs and set them up in rows, decorated with thick white ribbon tied in bows that ran down the aisle.

I gulped. That aisle suddenly looked like a mile long.

There was Carlisle at the altar, under an arch of white flowers woven in wooden fencing. He smiled proudly at me and Charlie and gripped his bible harder in his hands.

I finally gave up my failing resistance and looked at who was waiting for me under the arch of white flowers.

Both my breath and heart stopped as I looked at Edward for the first time. He was more of an angel today than I had ever seen him. His tux fit him perfectly, right down to his cufflinks. The black made him appear paler than usual, if that was possible. He was just as white as the shirt and bow tie he wore. That didn't make him any less beautiful, though. He looked me over, up and down, with wide golden eyes, incredulous with shock.

Edward's eyes met mine and I already wanted to cry. His golden gaze was filled with happiness, bliss and admiration. For the first time, I felt truly beautiful because of the way he looked at me. A huge smile was across his face, flashing his perfect teeth. I smiled back, just as excited. I was meant to do this.

Suddenly, I couldn't reach him fast enough.

Charlie and I finally arrived at the altar. I turned towards him to find him overwhelmed with emotion. I had to wonder if he would explode with all the feelings he was holding back. He smiled with teary eyes as he lifted my veil and placed it gently behind me and leaned down to kiss my cheek.

"I love you, Bells."

He handed me over to Edward and I understood the significance of this gesture. He was letting go.

I felt Edward's cool hand surrounding mine and I already felt more at home. I fought the very strong urge to throw my arms around him and hold him as tightly as I could. Just a few minutes. There would be plenty of time for that during the reception.

I lost myself for almost the whole ceremony. I couldn't take my eyes off him. All I could think of was that he would be mine forever and all eternity. And I would be his for just as long. My heart thumped erratically at the thought and my knees weakened. Edward's strong grasp on my hands kept me up, though.

"Now, Edward, your vows," Carlisle prompted. Suddenly, I was very alert. I had never heard or seen what Edward had written for his vows to me.

He cleared his throat. It sounded like the most beautiful music I had ever heard. Besides my lullaby, of course.

"Bella," he squeezed my hands when he said my name. "You are my other half that I have been searching for my whole existence. Before I met you, I was blind to happiness, to love, and to _life_. It was a world of darkness. Now, you are the light in my life, my blinding sun. You keep me alive in every way possible.

"The moment I laid eyes on you, I knew that you were the one. I didn't know why—that came later—but I just had a feeling. You brought out the best in me and taught me how to become a better person. You surprise me all the time, keeping me on my toes and fascinate me every second I spend with you.

" And now, here we are about to give ourselves to each other. To spend our existences together for eternity. You will always have my heart, Bella. Now and forever." He kissed my fingers gently before placing the wedding band on my left hand.

The tears poured freely from my eyes. I was filled with pure bliss from my toes to my fingers to my head. I just wanted to hug him and kiss him and never let go. And the way he was looking at me, I knew he felt the same and would have cried just as hard if he could.

I couldn't stop crying. I was completely overwhelmed with emotion that I couldn't bring myself to speak. Edward's face fell grave with concern. He wiped the tears from my eyes and whispered, "It's okay, love. Shh…take your time."

I nodded, helplessly shaken up. I smiled to let him know that I was fine and took his hands in mine and removed them from my cheeks, keeping them in between us again. Breathing deeply, I began reciting my vows.

"Edward, I never thought that I would fall so helplessly in love like I am now when I was younger. But when I met you, I fell flat on my face. And I liked it.

"You are my other half that I had been searching for seventeen years. Honestly, though I would have never believed it when I first came here, moving to Forks was by far the best thing that has ever happened to me. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I love you with every cell in my body and I am yours for all eternity."

I found myself crying again, but not as out of control. I could hear Edward's breathing and could tell that he was sobbing drily. He smiled at me the whole time.

"You may now kiss the bride."

Edward gave me a triumphant crooked smile that made me swoon as he leaned in and gave me our first kiss as a married couple. I liked the way that sounded. It no longer felt taboo to me.

His cold marble lips moved with mine gracefully and sweetly. I wrapped my arms around his neck and his hands held on to my waist to pull me close. It was total bliss.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor and delight to present Mr. and Mrs. Edward Anthony Masen Cullen."

The roar of cheers—especially from Emmett and Jasper—erupted and everyone clapped. Edward broke away from me and turned to face the crowd of guests, now on their feet. He held out his arm for me and we walked back down the aisle, as husband and wife. When we got to the doors, he scooped me up in his arms—bridal style—and carried me inside.

Once he closed the door behind us, he brought his lips to mine more passionately than he had ever before. My fingers knotted in his hair and brought his head closer to me. I couldn't get close enough to him. He set me down after a while, still not breaking the kiss and pressed me into a wall. His cool hands traced the lines along my throat, collarbone, shoulders, and arms. I shivered with delight from his touch.

I didn't hear the door open. I didn't hear the footsteps approaching us. I was too occupied with Edward.

I did, however, hear a shout from beside me.

"HEY! No honeymooning yet!"

Edward's lips suddenly left mine and I felt as if I had been slapped, it hurt that much. I turned to face the voice. It was Emmett. He had a wicked grin on his face as if he was going to blackmail us, which I would not be surprised if he did.

I blushed deep crimson, like a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar. I leaned into Edward's arm to try to hide my face in embarrassment.

"They're waiting for you guys at the tables. That is, if you can keep your hands off each other for a few hours."

Edward let out a frustrated sigh and glared at Emmett. He was still angry about being interrupted. I was just plain ashamed. He took my hand and we walked back outside.

The wedding guests had migrated from the ceremony set up to the tables that were scattered around a dance floor that the boys had set up this morning. In front was a large table with two empty seats in the middle, obviously Edward's and mine. Emmett grabbed a microphone and announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, the new Mr. and Mrs. Cullen!"

I blushed again and smiled shyly at the cheering guests. We took our seats and the food was served.

Halfway through dinner, Carlisle called everyone to his attention. "Excuse me, everyone. I have something I'd like to say about the happy couple that sits before me." He smiled warmly at Edward and me. "Before Edward met Bella, I always thought that Edward was incomplete. I always hoped that he would find someone who would make him feel whole and see the beauty of life.

"I got my wish in the form of Isabella Swan.

"Charlie, I don't know if you saw the same thing—though I'm sure you did—but when Edward met Bella, his whole persona changed entirely. For the better, of course," he added with a smirk. "Esme and I were sure that this girl, this Bella that he could not stop thinking about, was the love of his life, his soul mate.

"The way they look at each other, talk to each other, and behave around each other just shows everyone what true love really is. We all have lessons to learn from the love that Edward and Bella share.

"So, here's to Bella and Edward." Carlisle's voice broke as he choked up, crying without tears. He raised his full glass and everyone followed. "I know you to will live your lives in happiness. You are, after all, truly the other's half."

Everyone clinked glasses and drank to us. Even the Cullens took a drink, only to excuse themselves one by one to spit it back out. Carlisle came over and hugged both me and Edward, congratulating us with a wide grin. My eyes began to water again. It was a good thing that Alice had decided to use waterproof make-up for me.

Once all the humans' plates were empty—the Cullens and Denalis had not touched a bite—Jasper wheeled in a gigantic wedding cake, complete with little bride and groom figures. Going with tradition, Edward and I had the first bite, Edward swallowing forcefully and grimacing. To Jasper and Emmett's disappointment, we were nice to each other and placed the cake in each other's mouth instead of shoving it in our faces.

"C'mon, where's the fun?" they whined loud enough for everyone to hear.

After everyone finished their cake, Emmett—the official DJ for the night—grabbed the microphone. "Ladies and gents, let's give a round of applause for the newlyweds' first dance!"

Edward held out his hand. "May I have this dance?" He asked alluringly with a crooked grin. I replied lamely with a nod and placed my hand in his.

We walked to the middle of the dance floor and Edward twirled me about, displaying me to the crowd, before pulling me in and placing his hand firmly on my waist, drawing me close to him as the first notes of _Claire De Lune_ started. I put my feet on his and let him spin me around gracefully, just like we had at junior prom. I wasn't afraid of dancing anymore—as long as I was with Edward. He would never let me fall or so much as lose my balance.

Edward hummed the whole composition in my ear—his voice so much more beautiful than the recording of the piano—as I rested my head on his chest and pressed up to him as much as I could. I was completely at peace; nothing could spoil the moment.

As the last notes rang through the speakers, I lifted my head to look at him. He was so beautiful I wanted to cry with happiness that he was mine. I never saw him so ecstatic before. I was instantly happy that I had given him what he wanted.

"I love you," he whispered before he brought his marble lips to mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck and plunged into the kiss blissfully.

I heard applause as Edward pulled away and I could feel the blood rise in my face. We had just kissed with all those people watching, family and friends or not!

The next slow song was the father-daughter dance. It was "Butterfly Kisses" by Cliff Richard. Charlie looked like he was on the break of tears, so I kept conversation to a minimum, which was no conversation. At the end of the song, he finally got up the courage to speak to me, he voice breaking every few words.

"I love you, Bells. And I'm so glad you found someone," he said before he kissed me on the forehead.

We continued with the normal wedding events. I threw my bouquet behind my head to land in the hands of a very surprised Angela. She blushed deeply as she looked over and grinned at Ben. Edward tossed my garter after going deep in my skirts to find it, keeping his dangerously dazzling topaz eyes on me the whole time. I could feel his cold hands lingering on my legs as he took his sweet time pulling it down. My eyes widened and my cheeks burned with embarrassment. Emmett and Jasper howled with laughter the whole time, saying they'd never seen a more entertaining expression.

Emmett caught it and shouted, "Hey, Rose! I guess we're getting hitched!"

"Again," muttered Edward so that only I could hear.

We danced to a combination of old and new music, including "Just What I Needed" by The Cars, "The Great Escape" by Boys Like Girls, "The Twist" by Chubby Checker, and "I Must Be Dreaming" by The Maine, compliments of Jeri. She decided on our favorite songs and burned them onto CDs in the order she wanted them played. She definitely didn't trust Emmett to resist putting on a rap song for his own enjoyment.

I took turns dancing with Carlisle, Emmett, and Jasper. Then, it was time to dance with Jacob. We danced to "At The Hop" by Danny and the Juniors, attempting to jitterbug, but not succeeding with my clumsiness and Jake's height.

"Are you having fun?" I asked, trying to start conversation.

He shrugged. "But this is your day. Try not to waste too much of it on me." He winked.

I laughed.

I heard more laughing from the left of me and turned my head to find Edward dancing with Jeri. They were dancing as if they were Danny and Sandy at the school dance, twirling and jumping expertly. Edward had just tossed her into the air.

"Looks like you got some competition," Jacob said with a grin.

I sighed and shook my head. "Oh please. Jeri is Edward's family. They're related. Besides, she is like the daughter he never had." And he was. All you had to do was look at him while he was watching her. That was a true parental look if I had ever seen one.

"Sure, sure."

"Do you want to meet her?"

Jacob wrinkled his nose. "Do I have to? She hangs out with leeches."

"You spend time with me and I'm married to one," I shot back, a little harsher than I'd intended. "And it doesn't look like you have much of a choice anyway." I leaned my head over to Edward and Jeri. The song had ended and they were walking over towards us, Jeri looking less than pleased to be meeting Jake.

Edward came over to me, wrapped an arm around my waist, and kissed my cheek. I smiled contently, feeling much better now that I was in his arms again.

"I missed you," he whispered for only my ears.

"Edward, I thought we should introduce Jeri and Jake to each other, since they're the same age and close friends."

Jeri was frowning down at the floor, her arms crossed and her eyebrows raised. She did not approve of this introduction. She wasn't nervous so much as she was frustrated to be dragged here. Her opinions were obviously very strong to push aside her phobia.

"Jacob, this is Marjorie, a relative of mine from Chicago," said Edward calmly. "Jeri, this is Jacob Black."

"I already know who he is," she muttered under her breath. She then looked up to glare at Jake defiantly.

At that same time, Jacob brought his eyes down to meet her icy blue ones for the first time.

What happened was something beyond description.

I watched Jacob change right before me. His stare became softer, his body more relaxed. I saw a longing grow in his expression that I had only seen once before: when he wanted me.

I heard a low growl vibrate from Edward's chest. "I'll kill that dog," he snarled.

**Ahh! Sorry I did this to you guys again! I just couldn't resist! So tell me what you think. In a REVIEW, of course! Also, please participate in my poll. I really need your help on this one and I can't really update until you submit your opinions. **

**OK I need to give credit to some people. To Irisgurl1234 for giving me Bella and Charlie's song, Nezz for the idea of Bella and Edward making their own vows (though personally I hate the ones I wrote for them) even though she didn't know it, and my anonymous reviewer ShmexyVampire for suggesting that the Denalis be somewhat nice and Tanya tease Edward for hanging out with Jeri. She did think of the imprint, but I had it planned long before, so I still say it's my idea. **

**Also, yipee, over 50 reviews so far! You guys rock my poodle socks! (dance reference) Thanks!**

**--Loie**


	18. Chapter 17

**The results are in, and the yes's have it. Not by that much, though. So I'm jumping around to everyone. This may be a little tedious, but everyone's thoughts are important. I won't be doing this often because this is still Bella and Edward's story, but I need to get my points across and I don't think I can do that with just Bella's narration. Think about it, guys. She's not the most reliable of sources. **

**Disclaimer: I own a copy of Twilight. I just don't own the rights to it. **

**Jacob POV**

I really didn't want to meet this leech-loving brat that Bella just seemed to adore. She said she was human, but the girl probably spent so much time being with those bloodsuckers that she couldn't wait to be one.

She sure as hell looked like one. The only way I knew that she was human was that she didn't reek like them. But that pale skin still made me stiff with caution. And she was good-looking enough to pass as one if she wanted. I was sure that she was delighted by that.

She and the leech that was Bella's husband—I shuddered at the thought—walked over towards us after that awful old song was over. The girl's face was flushed with excitement, but once they got to us, she immediately frowned and stared at the floor. She looked angry, but I could see her shaking a little, probably not enough to be spotted by a human, and I could tell she was nervous. I was feeling smug. Let her be nervous of me.

So she hated me, too. Well, that was fine by me. The fewer leech lovers I had to deal with, the better.

"Edward, I thought we should introduce Jeri and Jake to each other, since they're the same age and close friends," Bella suggested. Why couldn't she take a hint that I didn't want to meet this girl? I loved Bella—a little more than was appropriate—but sometimes she couldn't take a hint.

I thought that Edward would disagree with her. I relaxed a bit, trusting him with that decision.

You can't trust a bloodsucker.

He went right ahead and introduced us. "Jacob, this is Marjorie, a relative of mine from Chicago. Jeri, this is Jacob Black." I snorted quietly enough so no one could hear, even Edward. Even her name was old. She just had a beating heart and no fangs. Other than that, she was good to go.

The girl, Marjorie, kept staring at the floor. "I already know who he is."

Man, this girl was brainwashed to hate me. I wondered how many things that leech had told her about me. And how many things were actually the truth.

Then she looked up to glare at me with icy blue eyes.

Beautiful, icy blue eyes.

It was like I was seeing her for the first time. Everything about her was beautiful and centered my universe. Her eyes shot daggers at me, but they didn't affect me in the way she wanted. They were clear and truthful, not bothering to hide her true feelings. Her jaw was set firmly and defiantly, her bottom lip pouting out a little. Her auburn hair blew softly around her face, framing it nicely. My eyes trailed down to her body, set in a reserved stance with her arms crossed over her chest. Her dark green dress hugged her cures perfectly and flared out past her hips.

Everything that mattered to me before—Billy, the pack, even Bella—was nothing compared to how much I cared about this stunning girl before me. I wanted to do anything and everything to make her happy. She needed me, I knew it, even if she didn't.

She needed someone in her life who would always be there for her. I was that someone. The thought sent shivers of joy down my spine.

I had the sudden urge to reach out to take her hand. I wanted to hold her and never let go. I ached to have her in my arms.

I heard a growling from Edward. "I'll kill that dog."

I narrowed my eyes and shot him a smug smile. "There's nothing you can do, leech."

"Oh yes there is. I'll kill you! Right now. Out in front where no one can see."

Bella looked too shocked for words. This was a little too much for her to handle. Then everything clicked for her and she stepped in between me and Edward. As if that would prevent a fight. "Edward, we have to take this one step at a time. Please, we have to talk this out. And Jeri has a right to know."

"Oh, I already know what's going on," Jeri shot back bitterly.

**Jeri POV**

_Edward, please don't make me do this. You don't even like him. Why are we going over there?_

He just kept walking, towing me along for the ride. I was counting on the fact that Jacob Black had been missing for the past month so I would be spared the dreaded chance of meeting him, but no such luck. Trust me, this was the last thing I wanted to do. Especially what he did to Edward last spring.

Edward and I emailed about three times a week, depending on the mounds of homework I had. He told me everything and I told him everything. After over a decade of correspondence, we trusted each other completely with our secrets, thoughts, and emotions, although I had to sensor a few from him.

That's how I knew all about Jacob Black.

Edward told me about the whole thing. I had to force it out of him, but he did. I could feel the pain that just oozed out of the words. I'd never seen—or rather read—him so upset before. All he could think about was losing Bella. He didn't even come visit me on Memorial Day weekend, he was so distraught. He wrote that he couldn't leave her, that he might lose her forever. I understood, of course, but that just made me even more worried about him.

He was like my dad, uncle, cousin, and brother all rolled into one. He'd always been there for me, and now he needed me. I volunteered to come over there, but he forbade it. I felt so helpless stuck in the city when Edward was across the country going through torture.

All because of that damned Jacob Black.

At first, I blamed Bella. She was the one flitting about toying with boys' hearts. I told Edward that once and he got so angry with me that I never mentioned it again. I dismissed the thought and instead looked at the root of the problem: Jacob's existence.

If it wasn't for Jacob being around, none of this drama a few months ago would have happened. Heck, if he had even just taken a hint that he was rejected and Bella belonged to Edward, none of this would've happened. But no, the guy wouldn't take no for an answer. Stupid teenage boys and their hormones.

And now here I was, about to be introduced to the most hated person in my world.

_Edward, I want nothing to do with him. Can I please go? Bella would understand if I left. She knows me more than you think. _

No answer.

I kept my head down and frowned at the floor, not bothering to show my distaste. I was still terribly nervous, but my anger geared towards this guy hid that pretty well.

"I already know who he is," I muttered harshly, knowing that everyone heard me loud and clear. I lifted my head to shoot him a death glare.

That was the worst decision I had ever made. Why didn't I just keep my eyes on my shoes?

I watched him go from controlled anger to relaxed to absolute adoration. It was written so plainly in his dark brown eyes.

I stared back at him suspiciously, wondering what was going on. And then I remembered Edward writing about something like this.

_It's very intriguing, Jeri. They immediately feel committed to the girl the moment their eyes meet for the first time. It is similar to love at first sight, but more accurate to absolute dedication. It's almost as strong as what Bella and I have. _

What was it called, again? I searched my memory for when I read the email. Oh, right. Imprinting.

My heart raced with the fear of realization.

Jacob Black had imprinted on me.

What did this mean? That he loved me? Well, I did not love him back. He was my enemy, the one who'd caused Edward so much grief. How could I love someone who did nothing but hate him?

I had to stop this.

Edward growled beside me. He knew what was going on and didn't like it any more than I did. At least I had a supporter.

They argued back and forth, acting like I was a five year-old with no mind of my own. Then I heard Bella speak up.

"…And Jeri has a right to know." She said, glancing at me, her chocolate brown eyes full of sympathy.

"Oh, I already know what's going on." I replied tersely. I knew all too well.

All three of them looked at me incredulously.

"You do?" asked Jacob, his voice rising, full of hope.

I sighed and nodded my head. What was I going to do? Shaking off Jacob would be harder than I'd expected.

**Bella POV**

Jeri was more informed than I'd thought. She already knew what was going on. Her face was a mix of terror, repulsion, and uncertainty as she looked between me, Edward, and Jacob.

On one hand, I thought how wonderful this was for Jake. He'd finally found someone to love, after all this time suffering because of me. And the girl he fell for was Jeri. I always thought that whenever Jake would imprint, the girl would never be good enough for him, but Jeri was such a sweet girl, and honest, and funny. She would be such a good girl for Jake. He would finally be happy.

But then I saw Jeri's face. It pained me so much to realize that she was trapped in this world whether she liked it or not. A world that she told me was not hers to be involved in. Just to watch from the sidelines.

Not only that, but she also hated Jake. Who could blame her? Edward was very close to her and all she could think of when she saw Jake was what happened last spring between the three of us. She could not be forced to love anyone that she loathed.

I wondered if Jake's imprinting was like that. Was it love yet? Or just friendship? I peeked at him quickly to try and read his face.

It was love, alright.

I thought again about the situation. Didn't Jake say something about imprinting being the one thing that the girl needs? That was how it was for Quil and Claire. He was her playmate, not her lover, because she was only two years old.

So did that mean that Jeri needed a boyfriend? She was quite the romantic; I was sure that she wanted someone to love in that way. Unfortunately, she got her wish in the wrong person.

The music started up again. This time, it was "Truly Madly Deeply" by Savage Garden. I looked to Edward with an expectant smile. He hesitated, not wanting to leave Jake unsupervised with Jeri for a second, but turned to me.

"Would you like to dance, Mr. Cullen?" I asked with my best alluring voice.

Edward looked back and forth between me, Jeri and Jake. He obviously didn't want to leave her alone with him, but I had worked my charm enough for him to want me. He finally gave in and pulled me up to rest my feet on his, his arm wrapping tightly around my waist.

**Edward POV**

That mutt imprinted on my Jeri. Yes, _my_ Jeri. I was the closest thing she had to a parent. Her biological ones were so caught up in their careers and social lives to ever care for her. I had to defend her from that dog.

"Would you like to dance, Mr. Cullen?" Bella asked with such a seductive voice, my strength took a massive blow. She looked so beautiful, she was dangerous. I wanted to sweep her away and hold her close as we would spin around the dance floor, but that would result in Jeri being left all alone with the dog.

I accidentally looked into those big, expressive brown eyes of hers and was immediately putty in her hands. I gave in and held her close, getting ready to start dancing, but still remaining close enough to hurt the mutt if he laid a hand on Marjorie.

_Yes! Now's my chance!_

"May I have this dance?" asked the dog as he put out a huge hand right in Jeri's face.

_Um, Edward, a little help? What do I do? _Jeri looked disgusted and terrified at the hand in front of her. I couldn't help but feel smug about this reaction. The mutt was being rejected.

"No you may _not_." A growl erupted in my chest. I didn't need Jeri's prompting to give him that answer.

"Let her decide for herself, would ya?" the dog shot. He turned back to Jeri with a warm smile. What a two-face.

"Go ahead, Jeri. It's just a dance," encouraged Bella. I stared at her in complete shock. "Come on, Edward. He can't try anything with us right here."

_Sad, but true._ The dog sighed with disappointment, but pulled his mouth into a grin. _But you know that nothing can stop this. Not even you, leech. So you'd might as well get used to it. I know she will. Just give it time. _

I sighed. "Only if you want to, Jeri." I answered, completely defeated, but not enough to give Jacob a dangerous glare.

**Jeri POV**

_What?! _

No answer again. The one night when Edward decided to ignore my thoughts was the one night I needed him to pay attention most.

I guessed I was on my own. I eyed Jacob's hand warily. I knew I couldn't say no to him. I just didn't have the heart.

I groaned. Why did I have to put on so many slow songs?

"Fine," I huffed, placing my hand lightly in his.

Jacob gave me a triumphant grin that spread from ear to ear. He put a huge hand around my waist and tried to sneakily pull me closer to him. Oh no, I was having none of that. I leaned back to get farther away and was only satisfied when my left arm was completely straight, my hand just touching his shoulder.

His body heat burned through my dress where his hand was and through his shirt where my hand lay. I remembered Edward mentioning something about this. I sighed. Too bad he didn't have a fever and get sick.

He heard that. "What?"

I almost jumped out of my skin, but he held me firmly on the ground. He looked at me expectantly, but I could see concern in his eyes, like he was worried that something was wrong.

"Nothing."

We kept swaying—Jacob was not a dancer, to put it lightly—for a few seconds before he attempted conversation.

"So…you're from Chicago?"

"Yeah." Hadn't we already established this?

"That's cool. Maybe you could show me around sometime." He gave me another hopeful grin.

"I don't think so."

His face fell with complete disappointment. "Why not?"

I was losing my composure. It bothered me to no end how ignorant he was. Did he not understand how destructive his actions from a few months ago were? How many people he hurt? I squirmed away from his warm, strong embrace and glared at him suspiciously. He looked hurt that I left him, like he really cared for me, but I couldn't think of that. He was my enemy and the last person who could love me and I him. I had to remember that.

I shook my head in disbelief. He really had no idea what I was talking about. "Because of what you did, what kind of terrible drama you caused last spring. You hurt everyone, Jacob, including me."

That did him in. He was distraught when I told him that I was affected, too.

But I couldn't stop. I'd lost every ounce of control and kept going. "And now you're imprinted on me? Do you know how phony that sounds? How am I supposed to accept that? I don't want you to love me or be dedicated to me or whatever. I want nothing to do with you."

I could feel Edward's eyes on us, watching and listening—in more ways than one—carefully. I wanted him to come and break it up because I knew very well that I couldn't stop arguing and criticizing until I had Jacob Black in tears begging for forgiveness. I was scared of my own sudden temper flare. I had never been this angry at a person in my life.

I got my wish. His big brown eyes glistened with moisture. For a moment, he was at a complete loss for words, but I could tell that he was thinking, struggling for a redeeming comeback. An idea lighted up his eyes and he held my shoulders firmly, but not painfully. It was a loving touch, my heart admitted. My mind dismissed the observation at once.

"Listen to the song."

I was going to protest and scoff at his answer, but his desperate, pleading look told me that this was no joke. So I listened to the song like he'd asked, even though I knew the words already. I hand selected the song, for God's sake.

_I'll be your dream. I'll be your wish. I'll be your fantasy._

_I'll be your hope. I'll be you love, be everything that you need._

_I'll love you more with every breath truly, madly, deeply do._

I gasped and my jaw dropped as I looked up at him. I understood. He would to be whatever I needed, just like the song said.

And for some weird, paranormal reason, he knew what I wanted, what my heart needed.

I wanted to scream in frustration. Here I was, finally meeting the one person who dedicated himself to me, and I couldn't accept. I wouldn't. My heart wanted to accept and feel his warm embrace, but my mind haunted me with memories of the past.

I shook my head slowly and unconsciously. Jacob's hands slid from my shoulders up to my cheeks, rubbing them with his thumbs. His eyes burned with concern.

I had to make a decision and tried to tell myself that I actually had a decision to make, that I had a choice. And the only way to make a good decision was to research on all the choices, the pros and cons.

I took his hands and removed them from my face. "C'mon. We've got a lot to talk about."

**Bella POV**

Edward and I watched Jeri and Jacob leave the dance floor to go sit down at the table. From their expressions, I couldn't tell what was going on. Jeri looked torn and pained and Jacob was confused, but hopeful.

I looked to Edward for an explanation. I was sure that he was listening to the spoken and unspoken conversations. He was still frowning, his brow puckered, but seemed more at peace than he was before.

"Is everything okay?"

He looked at me, his golden eyes hard with concentration. "I think it is. Surprisingly, the dog is having pure thoughts. It's…reassuring. And Jeri, as usual, is taking the logical choice. She and Jacob are going to talk about what's going on. She's still in shock and wants to know everything about Jacob and his imprinting. She knows that he cares for her and will never leave her, but still wants to feel like she can have a choice."

"And are you okay with this?"

He sighed and I knew that he felt helpless, which I knew was torture for Edward. "No. But if she's happy, I will learn to accept."

I hugged him close, trying to take away his distress. "I love you," I whispered in his ear.

He kissed my cheek and then my lips gratefully. "And I you."

**So, how was it? Were the narrations accurate? Please, don't hesitate to tell me your opinions. Sharing is caring!**

**I credit the song "Truly Madly Deeply" to Mar. She gave me a CD with it on there, and that's how I found it. **

**OK here's the bad news: I won't be updating much at all. School is starting and I'm taking hard classes and I have college applications to deal with. The story isn't over yet, oh no. I'll update when I can, but it will most likely be few and far between. So put it on your alert list or something so you'll know because I even don't know how often I'll write. Thank you for your understanding!**

**--Loie**


	19. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: Much to my disappointment, I do not own Twilight.**

**Jeri POV**

I could feel Edward's gaze on me as I led Jacob to the tables, but I didn't care. I didn't need his parental paranoia that night. I had to get this straightened out and if that meant talking to Jacob in a private conversation, well that was what would happen. At least we weren't going in the empty house or the woods surrounding the backyard.

I could also feel Jacob's eyes on me and I could tell that he was smiling with satisfaction. Well, he was sorely mistaken. I wasn't going to declare myself or anything like that.

I took a seat at an abandoned table, resting my elbows on the table and burying my face in my hands. Where to begin?

I took a few seconds just sitting there, biding my time. I felt Jacob's stare resting on me, but it wasn't hard or uncomfortable. It was soft and concerned. He reached over to take my hands in his huge, warm ones after a while, but I pulled back immediately and glared at him. He barely knew me and now he wants to comfort me as if I was his favorite person. Oh, right. I was as of five minutes ago.

I took a deep breath and wrung my hands to try and stop their trembling. "Now, tell me _exactly_ what's going on."

He told me everything and I thought I understood it all. I heard it all before from Edward. I was still in shock, I knew, and just nodded and took in his words. When he was done, I slumped in my chair, feeling completely defeated. From what Jacob said, there was no escaping this. And as much I hated him for everything he did, I couldn't put that much pain on one person.

Then I had an idea. "What if I didn't need a boyfriend? What if I already fell in love with someone else?"

He raised his eyebrows at me in disbelief. "You don't. If you did, then I wouldn't feel the way I do about you. I would just want to be a friend." His face pulled into a smug smile. "But I don't think that you'd be able to resist the level of commitment and adoration that comes with imprinting."

That's why he wasn't upset, not fazed at all. He knew that I would be his eventually. I felt a shiver run up my spine. It scared me that it all seemed so involuntary, like fate completely taking over the reins of your life.

"But I do have a decision, right?" I asked in a small voice. I was hanging on to every last shred of hope that I had.

His face darkened. "I guess you do. But like I said, you'll end up with me."

"But we live across the country. I thought that you can't be left apart from someone you've imprinted on for very long." Maybe he would un-imprint on me if we didn't see each other.

Jacob's frown deepened. "Yeah, that's a problem. I don't know what I'll do."

"Is it really that big of a deal?"

"Yeah."

His voice was so pained that my romantic side wanted to hug him and comfort him. I never believed that love could be so strong. My eyes flickered to Edward and Bella and I remembered Edward saying how much he couldn't bear to leave her when he went hunting or even to see me, and he hadn't visited since before he told her about his feelings for her and their relationship really started. I could only imagine how much more powerful that need was to be near each other.

Was that the same way Jacob felt about me?

I sighed, frustrated that nothing had a straight answer anymore. What was I supposed to do?

He heard that. "What's wrong?"

I pursed my lips together, my patience wearing thin. I couldn't lose my temper, I wouldn't allow it. I wondered why I was suddenly so frustrated—usually I was very composed.

"Listen," he pleaded as he reached over to hold my face in his hands. I flinched, but couldn't escape his hot touch. "What happened between me, Bella and Edward is over with. I can't change it. But right now, I need you. You're my soul mate and I can't live without you."

His hands caressing the tension in my cheeks and brow seemed to melt away the tension built up in my muscles. His burning body heat that radiated out of his skin didn't hurt either. All the resistance left me in a rush and I felt utterly helpless, but at the same time comforted by Jacob's touch.

I didn't care that he was leaning closer, or that I could feel his hot breath blowing in my face, drowning me in a pleasant woodsy scent, or that he continued to get closer to me—dangerously close.

The next thing I knew, Jacob's lips were on mine, his heat making my whole body burn. A tingly feeling crept up my spine, but it wasn't unpleasant. It was—to my complete and utter shame—exhilarating. I forgot who he was, who _I _was, and took in his love for me.

But then my mind snapped into action. Here I was swapping spit with _Jacob Black_. How could I do this? I pushed as hard as I could against his chest to break the kiss, but that didn't seem to affect him at all. He didn't even notice. I realized that I had to back away from him and slid my chair back and out of his reach.

It took him a while to come back to reality, but when he did, he looked confused. "What did I do?" he asked.

"What do you mean what did you do?" I snapped back. "You kissed me!" I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand for emphasis.

He caught that hand and held it firmly. "But you kissed me back," he defended. I could tell that he was getting a little frustrated. Good.

But I had no comeback to that. What could I say without being trapped in a corner and having to admit that I actually might've _enjoyed_ kissing him. That would mean defeat. I glowered at him and tried to yank my hand away, but he wouldn't let go. Jeez, why did he have to be so persistent?

I thought of the only way he would leave me alone and grinned devilishly. "Do I need to call Edward over here?" I asked with fake sweetness in my voice.

His eyes narrowed, but not threateningly; more like teasingly. "You wouldn't."

"Try me."

He let go of me and my hand already missed the heat. It was all I could do to not take his hand again. What was wrong with me? I glanced down and my hands started to tremble from more than the nighttime chill.

I needed to have a moment to myself. I valued my solitary moments, even though I probably had more than my share of those at home. I turned on my heel and headed to the house and walked into the expansive living room. It was deathly quiet in there and if I didn't know any better, I would've never guessed that there was a reception going on outside. The white-on-white décor of the room seemed to cleanse my mind of all that had happened in the last half hour. I let it was over me as I flopped on the couch. I just needed to clear my head for a while before I could deal with Jacob again.

I didn't know what to do about him. I tried to tell myself that I _did_ have a choice with him, that I could reject him if I wanted to. But the way he talked about it…he made it sound like I was already his and he mine. A shiver raced violently up my spine. I closed my eyes and sighed. I guessed that I would have to take it one step at a time. Somehow, though, I realized in the back of my mind that I was no longer just a spectator in this mythical world. I was dragged in just like Bella was. But my question was: Did I have a choice like she did?

**Bella POV**

My breath was ragged as I walked off the dance floor to take a break, Edward's arm firmly around my waist. It hadn't left that spot for the past thirty minutes, but I wasn't complaining. It could rest there for eternity.

I threw my arms around his neck and leaned my head against his shoulder. Every touch was important to me, it sustained me. Edward responded with a chuckle as he knocked my knees under me and swept me up in his arms, bridal style.

I scrutinized his golden eyes, searching for a hint of distraction. I found it, though it was hidden well. I sighed and shook my head in mock disappointment.

He heard that and looked at me too innocently. "What?" he said in a musical voice.

"When are you going to let her fend for herself? She's sixteen years old."

"All the more reason to be cautious. Do you know what sixteen year-olds are like?"

"I was sixteen only two years ago, Edward," I reminded him.

I knew I had a point and Edward knew it, too. He decided to change the subject. "Enough of Jeri. Today is about you and me," he said with a crooked grin that sent my heart crashing in my chest. His eyes smoldered dangerously, knowing that I was putty in his hands.

"So," my voice cracked, "where are we going after this?" I asked, trying to distract him so he would stop dazzling me with his golden gaze and at the same time hoping he would let his guard slip and tell me about our mystery honeymoon.

He laughed at my feeble attempt. "Not a chance. You won't know until we get there."

"Darn it." I snapped my fingers dramatically.

Edward set me down on his lap as he sat on his chair. His arms formed an iron cage, binding me to him. Not like I was trying to escape, though. I molded my body to his and leaned against his chest. He rested his cheek in my hair and his whole body relaxed. I was completely at peace with him so close to me and almost giddy when I realized that it would be this way for eternity.

I traced lines absentmindedly along his arm, feeling his icy body temperature through his shirt. It felt like I was in a freezer with his arms around me, but I didn't care. I was with my favorite ice sculpture.

"How are you feeling, Mrs. Cullen?" he asked playfully.

"Perfect," I sighed and tried to snuggle closer to him. I wormed my way around so I could face him. His topaz eyes were sparkling with delight and I wanted to cry because he was so happy. I leaned in so that my mouth was an inch from his. I grinned and wondered how long he would last, knowing that he wanted me as much as I wanted him.

He rushed to close the gap between us and kissed me fiercely with a new passion. His arms pulled me closer and I was crushed to him. I responded by knotting my fingers in his soft bronze hair, mussing it up and pulling his head closer to mine.

Edward pulled away suddenly, his expression full of terror.

"What did I do?" I asked. Maybe I'd gone too far in the kiss and crossed those boundaries that he'd set so cautiously.

He shook his head. "No, it's not you. It's Alice." He released me and stood up, wrapping an arm around my waist, but more protectively than lovingly.

I realized what he was talking about. Alice had a vision and I was sure that it was nothing good. We walked at a brisk pace to the house, me stealing glances up at Edward to make sure that he still had some sanity left in him. If it was bad, then he couldn't lose his control and want to protect me no matter what the consequences were. I was a part of this family now and I had to put in my part.

"Where are we going?" Everyone was still outside, but the Cullens were in a tight circle by the trees, surrounding Alice, no doubt.

"We need to get Jeri." And with that, he picked up the pace.

I furrowed my brow in confusion. What did Jeri have to do with Alice's vision?

She was asleep on the couch, tucked into a fetal position and forehead creased with the stress of her dreams.

"Jeri, wake up," Edward said with urgency that was not quite covered by false sweetness.

"Huh?" She saw us hovering over her and sat up suddenly. "Oh, sorry. How long was I sleeping?"

"Not long. Where's Jacob?"

Her face darkened. "How should I know?"

"We need to find him. He should be here to hear this." Edward's eyes were weary with admitting that Jacob needed to be involved. So, that meant that Alice's vision involved me and Jeri. What was going on?

"Hear what?" Jeri asked, suddenly on her guard.

"Never mind that for now. We need to find him first."

We went back outside and found Jacob sitting in the front of the house, thanks to Edward. He got up instantly and started walking to Jeri, who stepped behind Edward. They obviously hadn't made any progress yet.

"What's wrong?" Jacob's eyes darted between Jeri and Edward, terror and worry plain in his dark eyes.

"Come. Alice will explain. She knows better than I do," Edward responded bluntly before he turned to lead us back around to where the rest of the Cullens were waiting. Their faces showed fear, but I could tell that they still didn't know what was going on. Everyone, that is, except Alice.

She looked so weak, her slight frame hunched with fright and sadness. Jasper was rubbing her shoulders, trying to calm her, but to no avail. She looked up at us when we approached and choked back another dry sob. I had never seen her so afraid in my life.

"Alice what's wrong?" I couldn't bear to see Alice, usually so bubbly and cheerful, now on the brink of meltdown.

Edward pulled me closer to him with one arm and gripped Jeri's shoulder with the other. I wrapped my arms around his waist, bracing myself for what Alice would say.

Alice took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "The Volturi are coming in one week."

I felt all the blood rush from my face. My legs suddenly felt unstable and Edward had to hold me upright. My worst nightmares were becoming a reality. There was no way we could avoid them, not with Demetri hunting us. I held onto Edward with all of my strength, never wanting to let go.

There was a hush around us. All the vampire couples unconsciously moved to each other for comfort, embracing as if for the last time. Alice leaned backwards against Jasper, Carlisle had an arm tight around Esme's shoulders, and Emmett stroked Rosalie's hair while she held on to his waist.

I turned my head to find Jeri. All the color had left her face and her gray eyes were wide with fear. Jacob wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him. She was completely oblivious to him as a lone tear traveled down her cheek. I reached out to take her trembling hand, trying to reassure her as well as myself.

"What will we do?" I whispered shakily.

**Duh duh DUH! Sorry to do this to you guys, but I couldn't resist! So hopefully I won't keep you hanging for too long, but no promises. School sucks. Review and tell me what you think! I love to hear from you guys!**

**--Loie**


	20. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: The only thing that is mine in here is Jeri. I think. Whatever, I just don't own Twilight.**

**Bella POV**

All eyes turned to me when I asked the question. They weren't expectant or defiant or sad, but dazed, like they couldn't believe the reality that Alice told us about. I looked up at Edward and his golden eyes held so much emotion, I didn't know what to do, how to comfort him. I stood there looking back at them all, feeling as helpless as I was sure they felt.

Carlisle was the one to break the silence. "We need to think of a plan so that no one gets hurt. According to Alice, we have a week to prepare." He glanced at her for affirmation.

She nodded once, her eyes still distant.

"Unfortunately, we now have two problems. Both Bella's and Jeri's lives are at stake. I don't think that we will be able to get away with saying that Bella is changed. They will want to see for themselves."

I gripped Edward's waist even harder and felt my eyes sting with fresh tears. I had less than a week before I would give up my mortality. There were so many things still left undone…

I heard Jeri breathe heavily and unevenly beside me. I forgot that her life was in even greater danger than mine. Yes, the Volturi were not aware of her knowing about the Cullens, but if they found out, she was not prepared to give up her mortality that she fully intended to keep. She was only sixteen, too. I shook the thought out of my head. No, we would find a way to keep Jeri away from this mess. She wouldn't be found by them and she could still be human after this.

"What will we do?" asked Esme. "There must be a way out of this."

"No, they are coming to find us and will not stop until they do," Alice responded, eyes distant in the future.

"There is only one way then," Carlisle concluded with a sigh. He looked apologetically at me and Edward. "We must change Bella as soon as possible, preferably soon enough so that she will be…recovered by the time the Volturi arrive."

"Carlisle, that's too soon," Edward hissed.

"You know perfectly well that the Volturi will not play games this time, Edward. And Aro will not be here to defend us from Jane and Demetri. Bella has to be changed or else they will kill her and anyone in their way without hesitation."

A shiver ran down my spine at the thought of us all dead at the hands of the Volturi. All because they were trying to defend me and my mortality. Edward held me tighter in response and I squeezed him back.

Edward grimly nodded his head once. He agreed, but hated the solution.

"We also have to get Jeri to a safe place. She cannot be anywhere near here. We need to get rid of any traces that she was ever here. The other humans, too." Carlisle's eyes drifted to the guests mingling and talking, oblivious to our tense conversation.

They would all be in danger when the Volturi came. My heart raced in panic, thinking of all my friends and family who would be in danger. Once again, the people I loved would suffer because of me. When would they ever be safe again?

"Tonight," said Edward forcefully. "She has to leave tonight. She will go back to her home as if nothing has happened. Her parents will be expecting her anyway." His topaz eyes flashed with annoyance when he mentioned Jeri's mom and dad.

Jeri gulped and nodded her head. "Yeah, that sounds good for me. They expect me back in a couple days anyway and who knows how long this will last. I've got school registration next week."

"Wait a sec. She can't go there alone. What if she needs protection?" protested Jacob.

All eyes flashed to him, skeptical of Jacob's true meaning for his question.

Edward agreed, sighing heavily. "Yes, just in case, she will need someone there with her."

Jake's eyes lit up, despite the grave situation. "I'll go."

"You know I'm right here," Jeri said tersely. "I think I'll be fine by myself. It's a big city and I know where to go and what to do if there's trouble. Besides, with him around, it'll be a handful more than helpful. He has to eat and sleep and other human requirements. How am I supposed to meet all that?"

"What about Edward's house?" I asked. "He can stay there."

Jeri's eyes flashed icy blue at me for a second. She obviously had a reason behind her arguing.

"That would work," agreed Edward. "Are you up to the challenge, Jacob?"

"Of couse. I would do anything." His voice rang truthfully.

Carlisle nodded in approval. "It's settled, then. Bella will stay and be changed by the end of the week. Jeri will be accompanied by Jacob back to Chicago where they will wait until the Volturi leave.

"I suggest that they leave as soon as possible. Alice and Rose, go help Jeri pack her things. Jacob, you also need to collect necessities for your trip. Emmett and Jasper—scan the woods for any early arrivals. Bella and Edward, persuade the remaining guests to take their leave. Esme and I will make 

arrangements for them to get to Chicago. Let's all meet in the house at one. That gives us a little over an hour, plenty of time."

We all left, each to complete our specific tasks. It wasn't hard to persuade most of the guests to leave—Forks was never the late-night partying town. It was a challenge to get Renee and Charlie out, though. Being the proud parents, they continued to congratulate us and chatter about the rewards of marriage. Now that Renee was happily married to Phil, she wasn't as scornful as she was a few years ago.

"Really, mom, you should go and get some rest," I insisted. "It's been a long day and it would do you good." She had a few too many sips of the wine for my comfort. Luckily, Phil had remained relatively sober.

"Oh, okay, honey. If yer sure. I jus' wanna let ya know that I'm so happy for ya. An' if ya need anythin' at all, I'll always be 'round."

Phil led her by the elbow to the car after she kissed me and Edward on the cheeks. I kept my smile plastered on, but the fact that this would probably the last time I would see her tore up my heart. I always felt that she would always need my care. Now, I couldn't be there for her anymore.

Edward wrapped an arm around my waist and kissed my hair. "Don't worry. Phil's a good man; he will take care of her."

Charlie was next in line, being the last guest remaining. He was sitting at a table, staring at the dance floor. I braced myself and left Edward's cool, comforting embrace to go face the unavoidable conversation.

"Hey, Dad, you should probably get back home," I said softly, trying to contain my emotions.

He looked up at me with his brown eyes—my eyes—and broke out of his trance. "You're leaving me, aren't you? Forever." He asked simply.

I took a deep, very audible breath, preparing to say the inevitable. "Yes. Most likely."

He turned back to the ground and nodded his head. I knew that I had confirmed his suspicions.

I tried to redeem myself. "But I can still write and call you. I'll still keep in touch," I promised, even though I knew that it would never be enough.

"Why?"

I sighed. "I…can't tell you."

"Is it because of the Cullens?"

"Yes."

"Is it because of what they are?"

All the color drained from my face. How could he know? How much did he know? For how long?

"What do you mean?" I asked tentatively.

He looked up at me. "You know what I mean. Over the last year or so, I've noticed certain…things about the Cullens. They're not normal."

I bit my lip nervously. Charlie knew.

"So what is it? Are you going to tell me?"

"I can't. I don't want to put you in danger." No, I refused to do that to him. What would happen if the Volturi found out about him? I shuddered and forced the thought away.

Charlie stared at me for a while, trying to find any lies written on my face. When he found none, he didn't look satisfied, just disappointed. He heaved himself out of the chair and gave me a hug. "I don't want to lose you, Bells. I just wish I could know. But I do know that you love this boy and he is willing to do anything for you, so I guess that's enough." He pulled away to scrutinize me again, holding my shoulders at arms length. "You will be happy, won't you?"

This time the smile came naturally. "Yeah, Dad. I will."

"Well, I guess that's the best I can hope for," he sighed. "But if there is any way to tell me, please. I'll always want to know about you."

"Sorry, but I can never tell you about this one. It's too much of a risk for you," I explained.

Charlie gave me a crinkly eyed smile. "It was worth another try. I love you, Bells." He kissed my forehead softly.

"Love you too, Dad."

And after another hug, he turned and walked to his cruiser without a backward glance.

I felt cold arms wind around my waist. I let them support my weight, too weak to try anymore. Edward walked me to our chairs and sat me down on his lap. I leaned into his chest and tried to compose myself. This was our wedding night. I was supposed to be happy.

He stroked my hair lovingly and waited patiently for me to recover. When I was ready, I turned to face him, seeing his topaz eyes tight with conflict and concern.

I reached up to stroke his cold cheek. "What's wrong?"

He sighed and I never seen him look so distraught in his whole life. "I am wondering if this is the kind of life you deserve. You do not earn an eternity of darkness. I just wish that there was another way…" he trailed, looking away, lost in thought.

I turned his head so that he had no choice but to look right into my eyes. "Edward, I _want_ this. Maybe not in the exact situation as we're in right now, but it all gets us to the same place. Please, don't worry." I tried to give him a reassuring smile, but it felt weak.

To my surprise, he quickly closed the small gap between us and kissed me forcefully and passionately. I responded immediately with just as much vigor as I tangled my fingers in his hair and pressed myself closer to him. I had to break away for air and we both were gasping.

Edward wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me to my feet. "Come on. They are almost done."

We walked back, arms around each other, to the house and sat down on the couch, waiting for the others. Alice, Jeri, and Rosalie came downstairs soon after with Jeri's luggage in tow. Next came Carlisle and Esme with airplane ticket print-outs in their hands. Jacob, Emmett, and Jasper walked through the front soon after with satisfied expressions. They hadn't found a trace of any lingering vampires.

They all sat on the remaining couch and chairs, waiting for Carlisle to speak. I saw Jacob sit next to Jeri and put his arm across the back of the couch behind her. She immediately inched away and sat up straight.

Carlisle cleared his throat nervously. "The woods are clear?"

Emmett and Jasper nodded.

"And are you ready to leave, Jeri?"

"Yes," she replied, her voice shaking just as much as her hands were.

Carlisle turned to Jacob. "Are you sure you want to do this, Jacob? Any one of us would be happy to go."

"No," he said a little too quickly. "I should be the one to protect her."

I heard a soft rumbling from Edward and rubbed his arm to try to calm him down. Over-protective, as always. He was as bad as a father.

"Well, then. We need to get to the airport. Their flight leaves in one hour."

Edward and I changed clothes quickly—I didn't want to attract attention with my gown—and we set off to Port Angeles. The car ride was especially quiet, even though Alice was with me, Edward, Jeri and Jacob. None of us wanted to think about what any conversation might lead to, what the next days might bring for us.

Port Angeles' airport was, as expected, quite deserted as we walked to the gate. The tension around us was unbearable and I gripped Edward's arm for support. Everyone walked like ghosts to the security check-in.

Carlisle turned to Jeri and Jacob. "Now, your flight goes to Los Angeles. There you will get a connecting flight to Chicago."

"Midway Airport?" Jeri asked.

"Yes. Here is money for a taxi to take you to Edward's house. Jacob, you will stay there. Marjorie, it would be helpful if you spent as much time with Jacob as possible, but I think it would be wise to not inform your parents about him. Act as if nothing happened and go about your daily life."

Jeri nodded her head, her gray eyes shining.

"Very well, then. We will contact you when they leave or if there is any trouble. I don't anticipate that, but we must take the precautions. Edward, you have Jeri's and Jacob's phone numbers?"

Edward nodded. "And Jeri has mine if there are any problems."

"Good. Have a safe journey and stay well. We hope to see you soon." He hugged Jeri and shook Jacob's hand. Esme, Alice and Emmett did the same, Esme looking close to tears if she could form them. Jasper and Rosalie gave more formal good-byes.

They all then left me and Edward alone with the two refugees.

Jeri immediately broke down and rushed to give Edward a bone-crushing hug. I could hear quiet sobs coming from her face, which was buried in Edward's shirt.

He patted her head and murmured, "It will be alright. Nothing will happen. They will come, see what they wanted to, and leave. Alice's vision was clear. They only care about Bella's mortality, not to make trouble."

"B-but what if something goes wrong? What if there's a f-fight?" she stuttered.

"There won't be. Trust me. You always have before." He gave her a crooked smile just as she looked up.

"That was then. I'm much older and wiser and skeptical than I was before," she sniffed.

His smile fell. "I know," he muttered darkly.

"Just promise me that you'll be safe and not piss off too many of them. Think before you act." She squeezed him again.

Edward kissed her hair. "I promise."

Jeri broke away from him to turn to me. She hesitated, but hugged me too. "I don't know what I'm going to do when I won't be able to see you again, Bella. You're like the sister I never had. Promise me that you'll visit me or invite me over right when you get your tolerance back. I know that Mister Cautious over here will wait as long as possible."

I snickered at her remarks and hugged her tighter. "I promise, Jeri. Don't worry, I will get you back here as soon as possible. I don't think I'll be able to go to Chicago for a long time."

She laughed darkly and stepped away.

Jacob then came to hug me good-bye. "Be careful, Bells. And don't get too blood lusty when you're changed."

Edward cleared his throat and held out his hand. "Take care of her, Jacob."

He eyed it and took it warily. "Sure thing, bloodsucker."

"_What did you call him?"_ bristled Jeri.

"I mean, Edward," Jake revised hastily. "You know how much I would do for her."

Edward sighed. "All too well."

The sign for departures said "now boarding" for the flight to Los Angeles.

"We'd better get going," prompted Jacob. "We can't miss the plane."

Jeri squeaked a "yes" and hugged us again before grabbing her bag and heading to the gate, Jacob's hand on the small of her back. She turned around one last time after going through security to wave at us sadly. We responded with waves of our own and smiles that I hoped she was too far away to see how hollow they were.

**So, how was it? I tried to not leave you guys hanging too much. For those of you who know the American school schedule, I will be updating at least on the long weekends, just so you know. (this is one of them, for me at least) I think I can do that. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it and send me a review if you wish!**

**--Loie**


	21. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: My first name is not Stephenie. My last name is not Meyer. Therefore, I am not Stephenie Meyer. **

**Bella POV**

We went back to the house in silence. I held on to Edward as if my life depended on it the whole time. In a way, I supposed it did. He was the only one who could save me from the impending death that was the Volturi.

I must have fallen asleep in his arms, because I could feel the rocking of Edward's graceful walk as he carried me to his room. He placed me down carefully and tucked the covers around my body. I sighed contently, still not completely awake or asleep, as I nuzzled closer to my stone angel, my soul mate, my husband.

**XXX**

I heard piano music as I finished showering. Edward was playing my lullaby. I quickly dressed, ran the brush through my unruly hair and bounded down the stairs only to trip on the second to last one. The music stopped and I felt cold hands on my waist as the ground suddenly stopped racing towards me.

Edward's icy breath tickled my neck as he whispered, "Careful, now." I could hear the grin in his voice. He set me upright, but only to pick me up, bridal style. I grinned that I was really his bride now. We made our way over to the grand piano and shared the bench. I wrapped my arms around his waist and leaned my head on his stony shoulder. I could have stayed like that forever.

"This is nice," I murmured when my lullaby had ended. I squeezed his waist for emphasis.

Edward replied with a swift kiss on my head. "I want everything to be perfect for you."

That caught me off guard. There was something in his tone that made me suspicious. It was regretful and sad, like we were facing an inevitable doom. What was going on in his mind? It was times like this when I wished I had Edward's talent.

Then I realized what he was referring to. He was still upset about changing me. Not just that, I amended, but the fact that it had to be rushed. I knew that he was waiting for the perfect moment. Now, we just might not have that luxury.

I nuzzled my face in the crook of his neck. "Edward, it doesn't matter. It's only one week of our forever."

He sighed a little frustrated and became very interested in the keys.

I reached up to turn his face back to me. His golden eyes were hard and intense while his chiseled jaw was clenched. "What's wrong? Are you angry with me?" He looked so fierce, I was almost afraid of him.

He immediately relaxed, though his eyes were still tight. His fingertips stroked my cheek. "No, love, of course not. I'm angry at the situation. I just wanted everything to be perfect, that we wouldn't rush, but now it seems that the Volturi are committed to change those plans."

"But everything will be perfect. I'm sure Alice can confirm that."

Edward raised an eyebrow at me. I was a little shocked at myself that I would go to such lengths at to asking Alice about mine and Edward's future love lives.

"Okay, maybe not ask Alice," I quickly back pedaled. "But we'll work it out. How much time do we have?"

"Two days at the most. If Jasper had any say, he would have had you changed last night." A scowl appeared on his angel's face and I thought I could hear a soft growl.

I held back a shudder and rubbed his arm soothingly. "You know that the sooner I get changed, the sooner we have our forever with no restrictions, right?"

He glanced at me skeptically. "Still eager for being a monster, I see."

I groaned and stood up. That was the last straw. Couldn't he see that it wasn't about being immortal or being a vampire? Well, it was, but it was all for him.

"Edward, I want to be with you forever. I want to be happy with you and love you and do everything with you for eternity. Don't you want that, too?"

He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer to him so that his knees rested on the outside of my legs. "Of course I want that, but I just wish…there was some way," he murmured, his topaz eyes filled with nothing but remorse.

I pushed his hair back out of his eyes. No eyes like that should ever be hidden by even the most beautiful hair, which of course in my opinion, was Edward's. He closed them, hiding them from me, but he was relaxed. That was fine by me. I could make sacrifices so my husband had a little peace in his life.

His icy hands spun me around and slowly guided me down so I sat on his lap. They wrapped completely around my waist, creating an iron restraint. I leaned my head on his chest, completely happy to be his prisoner. I hoped he would never let go.

"You know," I said, trying to form coherent sentences while the sweet scent of his breath flooded my nose, "when I am changed, there will be no more temptation for you. Won't it be a relief for you when you don't want my blood?"

He hesitated. "Yes, but I still wish that there was some other way for us to be together completely. I do want to change you, I am too far a selfish creature to let you escape from me. I want you forever."

Shivers of delight ran races up and down my spine. That was the first time Edward had ever expressed his approval of me being one of his own kind.

The grip around me loosened. "Are you cold?" his velvet voice whispered in my ear, his breath tickling the sensitive skin.

Terrified that he would let me go, I squirmed and pressed closer to him. He chuckled and held on to me even tighter than before.

After a few minutes, I felt like Edward had calmed down to the point when he would be ready for what I would suggest. I knew that he wouldn't like it, but if there was a way…my cheeks burned at the thought.

Unfortunately, the super sensitive vampire could feel the heat, too. "What are you thinking?" he asked, his voice innocently curious. It made me blush even more.

I decided to bite the bullet and come right out of it. We had no time to waste. "Well, we are married now, and I was wondering if your promise still held." I peeked up at him to gage his reaction.

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yes, I promised and I do not break my promises. But not now. This is hardly the time, Bella."

"But—"

He placed his fingers on my mouth. "Not now." There was a mischievous gleam in his eyes that told me to be patient.

But I didn't want to be patient. My hormones were definitely getting the better of me. I turned and adjusted myself so that I was facing Edward with my legs straddling his. Calling on what little seductiveness I had, I leaned in close to him and pressed my lips against his softly and slowly, but burning with passion. After coming up for air at the last possible second, I proceeded to kiss the hollow under his ear. "Please?" I asked in my most alluring voice.

"Bella," he groaned. "My self control is not as strong as you believe it is."

"That's fine by me."

Alice came into the living room with a wicked grin spread across her face and cleared her throat, sounding more like wind chimes than anything. In one of those quick vampire movements, Edward lifted me off his lap and set me down next to him. I couldn't help but pout. All hopes were lost now that the moment was ruined.

"Edward, you and Bella are driving poor Jazz off the wall with your emotions," she chastised, but it was hardly effective with her knowing smile. "The six of us are going out hunting for the day. We won't be back until tomorrow—Emmett and Jasper really want to find some good bears. Have fun," she added lightly as she skipped out of the house. I heard car doors slam and they were gone.

"Alice," Edward growled. I snickered at his response, only to receive a playful glare.

"You have to admit that it was convenient," I told him. I sat back on his lap, uncomfortable with the amount of space between us. He pulled me in closer so that my chest was pressed up to his.

I hastily took his face in my hands and crushed my lips against his, hungry for his icy touch. He responded more than eagerly, his hands roaming my back.

"Bella," he murmured in between ragged breaths. "Are you sure that you want to do this?"

I inched back to get a better look at him. His eyes were filled with love and desire, his pupils dilated to show his excitement. He looked like he was buzzing with energy. I wouldn't have been surprised if I could hear it coursing through him, like electricity running through wires.

I kissed him fiercely again. "Yes," I whispered confidently.

With that, he picked me up and used all of his vampire speed to race upstairs.

**XXX**

I woke in the middle of the night with my head resting on Edward's chest. I could feel his steady breathing with his torso rising and falling. It was so soothing and hypnotic, I almost drifted to sleep again. Luckily, Edward's fingers tracing my spine sent tingles, leaving me wide awake.

I looked up at him, not able to keep a foolish grin from my face. I couldn't help it. I had never felt so…complete before. I was almost giddy with happiness.

I got a dazzling smile in return, leaving me completely speechless. He stroked my cheek with his icy fingers, leaving a hot trail on my skin. "That…what happened…was the best time of my existence."

I nodded furiously and buried my face in his chest, holding myself tighter to him.

We laid there for a while before I realized where this left us. I didn't want to ruin the moment, as I so often did, but it seemed like the right time for this. Just like Edward said.

I leaned my head on my hand so I could look at him better and touched his cold, hard jaw, drawing his attention to me. I gulped, bracing myself for what I would say.

"Edward, I'm ready."

Fear filled his eyes, but I also saw understanding. Maybe he was finally giving in.

He shook his head slowly, shutting his eyes, causing his perfect brow to pucker. "No, Bella. It's too dangerous. What if I hurt you? There is no one to stop me if—if things get out of hand."

I rubbed circles on his cheek with my thumb. "I trust you," I whispered. Those words were just as truthful as telling him how much I loved him. "You would never hurt me. It's time Edward. I'm ready."

"Bella, I can't," he pleaded.

"Yes you can. I know you can."

He kissed me sweetly, lingering at my face to inhale deeply. He caressed my face as his eyes bore deep into mine as if he were memorizing me. "Bella, I'm so sorry. So so sorry." He spoke between kisses.

"I love you, Edward. I will love you forever," I responded, my voice trembling slightly. I wanted this, but that didn't mean that I was a little scared of the future. "No matter what happens."

Edward trailed kisses down my jaw, across my throat until he reached the crook of my neck. He paused, giving that tender spot a long kiss. "I love you with every fiber of my being, Bella. I love you so much."

He brought his lips down to my skin again, but they were parted.

I felt his teeth sink into my flesh.

The venom flooded into my veins, driving me into an agonizing state of unconsciousness. I held on to Edward's cool hand, desperate for some relief from the burning that was growing inside me.

"Edward, don't leave me," I pleaded.

I could feel his cold touch sweep across my face. "I never will."

**Happy Columbus Day! AKA, no school, and an update as promised! So what did you think? It was hard to write this chapter. Please tell me if it was too rushed. They are a little hurried, but still. Next chapter will be up sooner than you think!**

**--Loie**


	22. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: If I owned Twilight, Edward would be with me. Unfortunately, Bella is the lucky girl. **

**Jeri POV**

The plane ride was unbearable. Not only were we in a tiny plane that rocked back and forth the whole time, Jacob kept trying to comfort me by draping his huge, burning arm around my shoulders. That just made me even sicker and I had nowhere to escape from him. I tried to shrug him away, but the guy just couldn't take a hint.

We wheeled our way through the lot and it seemed like an eternity before the pilot thanked us and said good-bye. I practically dashed out the door and into the air-conditioned building. It was way too cold for my liking, but the air was wonderful.

Suddenly my head caught up with me and the world started spinning. I quickly found a wall and leaned against it, trying to keep my balance. That was the last time I would ever ride on a small plane. It would be commercial airlines for me.

I felt a large figure approach me. I sighed, disappointed that he hadn't gotten lost, as I sunk to the ground.

He crouched to meet my eye level. "You don't look so good." His dark brown eyes held all the concern in the world.

I couldn't help but be a smart-mouth. "No, you think?"

He winced at my remark, sending a wave of guilt over me. He really was worried about me and I'd just snapped at him. Why couldn't I be nice once in a while?

Oh, right. This was Jacob Black I was referring to.

"C'mon. Let's get you to a bench and I'll find our bags." He eased me up by the elbows, his hot hands providing perfect support, and guided me to a nearby seat, gently lowering me. He studied me for a second before going off.

I laid down on the bench and let my stress wash over me while he was gone. If I let my emotions show while he was around, he'd have a fit, I was sure. What was I supposed to do while he was here? I couldn't spend all my time with him—I had school to register for, summer homework to finish, and the Robinsons who I babysat for every Tuesdays and Thursdays. They were already unhappy with me cancelling for last week, I couldn't do that again. And what about my personal time? I valued my solitude. I would be driven insane if I had Jacob around every time I was alone.

What was _he_ supposed to do? I understood that Edward wanted to keep me safe, but what damage could Jacob do against a horde of vampires? Nothing, that's what. What about all the human necessities? Sure, he had a place to stay, but what would he do for food? I didn't have money lying around to feed a werewolf/teenage boy. He probably ate like a horse. Well, that would be his problem.

I felt a presence looming over me and threw my arm over my eyes in denial in addition to letting out a quiet groan.

"Are you feeling okay?" the husky voice asked, dripping with worry.

I hoisted myself up before he could get any more paranoid. "Let's go."

I caught us a cab and rode to Edward's house. The whole time Jacob was gaping out the window at the city as if he'd never seen civilization before. I smirked out the other window so that he wouldn't see. What a country bumpkin.

When we got there, I showed him around quickly just to stall. I really didn't know what I was supposed to do and I couldn't call Edward unless it was an emergency.

"Where do you live?" he asked as we made our way back to the parlor.

"In the city," I responded nonchalantly.

"Where in the city?"

I narrowed my eyes. "None of your business."

"I think it is my business." He was getting angry now. A little negative emotion towards me was a good sign. "How am I supposed to protect you?"

"From what?" I snapped. "From the Volturi?" I snorted humorlessly. "Yeah, a lot of good _you'd _be against a horde of vampires."

He took a long stride towards me and grabbed my shoulders. I tried to shrug them away, but he was much too strong, squeezing harder every second. I could feel bruises starting to form on my skin. He bent his knees so that he was eye level with me and his face inches from mine. His dark eyes glinted and stared intensely right at me. In a low, passionate voice, he said, "I would die to protect you."

I was about to tell him that his death wouldn't stop them, but my shoulders were being strangled by his death grip. I was ready to hear bones snap, it was so excruciatingly painful. "Jacob, let go! You're hurting me!"

He glanced down at his hands that were wrought with tension and his eyes widened in horror at what he was doing to me. He let go of my shoulders, but only to knock my knees out from under me and carry me to the kitchen. He set me down on the counter and searched frantically for ice and a towel. Luckily, the house was equipped with a freezer and I always kept some basic things around here, just in case.

"There's a towel in the drawer to your left and the freezer in the basement has ice."

He grabbed two hand towels and dashed downstairs to come back up five seconds later with them full of ice. He set them down next to me and gently pushed up my sleeves to reveal my purple shoulders. I could see the finger marks from where Jacob's hands were.

I heard him take a sharp intake of breath. He obviously had no idea what he was doing. He placed an ice pack on each shoulder and the cold sent a flood of relief to my bruises. I sighed in content and closed my eyes, my whole body relaxing.

But that comfort only lasted for a couple of minutes. Jacob was holding the bundles in place, his burning body temperature making quick work of the ice cubes. My shirt ended up drenched at the shoulders and my skin grew painfully hot with the pain.

I snapped my eyes open at this realization only to find Jacob's dark eyes trained on me. Anger and embarrassment flashed through me; he'd been right there watching me the whole time.

I cleared my throat impatiently to bring him back to reality.

He blinked a few tomes before focusing on me. "Yeah?" he asked, a smile playing on his lips.

I groaned inwardly. He looked so happy and genuine; I just couldn't release my usual biting sarcasm on him. My mind flashed back to the look of horror on his face just a few minutes ago when he realized that he had hurt me. I almost winced at the image.

Swallowing my smart comments, I looked him straight in the eye. "Your freakishly high temperature melted the ice. Can I get down now?" Oh well. I tried to be nice.

Guilt spread across his face as he saw what remained of the ice. "Oh, um…yeah," he stuttered. I hid a smirk. It was entertaining to see him flustered.

I hopped down from the counter, but foolishly pushed off with my hands. I cringed and hissed at the jolt of pain that shot through my arms.

Of course, Jacob as alert in an instant, attempting to comfort in any way possible. I appeased him by sending him to get more ice from the basement.

I made my way into the parlor and carefully lied down. Exhaustion flooded my body and my eyelids suddenly felt very heavy. I could just take an hour nap, I thought. I'd been awake for almost a whole day and I never did well trying to stay up. Edward's visits always left me in a sleep deprived daze that lasted for at least a week. Of course, I couldn't tell him that or else he'd never come see me. No, I couldn't have that.

Settling into the cushions of the couch, my eyes slowly closing and my mind starting to drift into the safety of unconsciousness, I felt cold objects on my shoulders and hot ones caressing my cheeks.

**XXX**

I woke to the sun glaring at me through the high windows of the parlor. How long had I been sleeping? It must have been five in the evening or so, based on the fact that Edward's house faced west. I groaned. I had spent the whole day sleeping.

Jacob was sitting in the armchair with one of the framed photographs in his hands, pretending to examine it, but his focus seemed a little too intent to be innocent. I raised my eyebrows and cleared my throat to let him know that he didn't fool me.

"Oh, hey, you're awake. You feeling better?" He asked, trying to play dumb. I could tell he was jittery with guilt of not just the whole shoulder ordeal, but of me catching him staring. I knew he wasn't sorry for it, just that he got caught. I fought a smile.

I tested my flexibility, only to feel sharp pain once my hands got higher than my shoulders. That wasn't a good sign.

Jacob grimaced. "I can't tell you how sorry I am."

I attempted a shrug and found out I couldn't do that either. "It's fine. It'll go away after a week or so."

He got up and sat down in the empty space by my waist. I could feel the heat radiating off his skin and smell his earthy scent. I wanted to drink it all in. No! What was I thinking?

"So, who is this?" He pointed to the girl in the picture who was smiling in front of a Victorian house.

"That's my great grandma, Emily. She's in almost all the pictures here." I giggled to myself, wondering if Jacob had recognized a particular person in one of the older ones.

"What was that for?" he asked skeptically, flashing a grin.

"Just wondering if you recognized someone in some of the photos," I explained between breaths, trying to regain my composure.

His brows furrowed. "Um…she looks a lot like you," he suggested.

He obviously didn't get the hint. I scooted around him to get up and find the one I wanted. I came back and sat next to him, handing the frame. "Did you see this one?"

He took it from me and examined it carefully. It was the one with both the Masens and the Fosters during Christmas. They were sitting on the very couch Jacob and I were on, with Edward hugging his little cousin Emily, both looking so ecstatic.

I heard him gasp. "That's Cullen!"

I nodded my head once. "Yep. That was the Christmas before he…well, you know." I've always had problems even just thinking about it. I've always accepted it, but it didn't seem…right, even though I knew it was true. I always tried to hide it from Edward by teasing him about it.

I felt a vibration in my jeans. I jumped in surprise and hastily pulled my phone out before it began playing the embarrassing ring tone of "The Power of Love."

"Hello?"

"Marjorie, where are you?"

I cringed. The one time my mother cared about where I was, I couldn't really tell the truth.

"Um, I just got off the plane, mom. I'll be home in an hour or so." I tried to distract her. "Don't you have an appointment or something? This is your busy season, even if it's ending soon."

She paused. "Oh! Yes, you're right. Well, I want you home by the time your father and I are. That should be by ten. And there are some frozen sausages you can cook for dinner if you get hungry."

I sighed. "When am I _not_ home, mom? I'll see you later."

"Don't get smart with me, young lady."

"Sorry." She wasn't in a good mood today. I made a mental note to take special care to not let her feel suspicious about anything. I didn't need her snooping when there were bigger issues at hand.

"Good-bye, Marjorie."

"Bye, Mom."

I rolled my eyes as I shut the phone. Typical Mother. Well, at least I had until ten tonight to take care of everything.

I stood up and grabbed my bag. I thought I should get back home before her meeting was over. I didn't think that Mother would remember about me, but I was in no position to take any chances.

"C'mon. We've got to go," I told Jacob.

"Where?" He asked as he picked up his own bag and threw it over his broad shoulder.

I braced myself. "My house."

"Oh, good. You've finally come to your senses. It's for your own safety. And it makes me feel a little better knowing where you'll be so I can check on you."

I whirled. "What?!"

He raised his eyebrows at me. "What? Did you really think that I would leave you for hours on end at your house just because you'll be sleeping." He let out a hard laugh that did not sound humorous at all. "That's when the bloodsuckers will be looking for you."

I sighed, completely defeated. This guy was not going to give up. "Fine," I huffed and marched out the door.

We took the el over to my house, Jacob carrying both our bags—after a heated argument about my ability to carry heavy objects after this morning—and wrapping an arm around my waist. I tried to politely tell him that it was unnecessary, but he didn't get the hint.

I fished the keys out of my bag and unlocked the heavy wooden door. To my relief, my parents hadn't thrown any parties while I was away. The house was almost as clean as I had left it a week ago.

I made my way through the house and into the kitchen. I flipped on the lights and radio, a customary action for me whenever I was in there. The kitchen was my room, apart from my bedroom. I smiled at my mother's suggestion that I have frozen sausage for dinner. She barely knew what was in here. I could do so much better than frozen sausage.

I bustled about the kitchen, completely absorbed in the music and forgetting that I had an audience. Until I heard a snicker from him, bringing me abruptly out of my own world.

I hated it when people just watched me. I felt like a freak show, even though I knew that I was already considered one by only some people.

"If you're going to be in here, you're going to help," I warned him. Maybe that would give me some alone time with my food and music.

He shrugged, the corners of his mouth twitching up as he tried to suppress a smile. "Fine. What do I do?"

I froze and turned my head towards him slowly, shocked at what he'd said. He actually chose to work…just to be with me?

I didn't know what to say.

"Um, well, you can work on cutting the peppers, I guess," I stammered.

"So…when are your folks coming?" he asked, trying to break the awkward tension that was rapidly building between us though the silence.

I glanced at the clock. "Two hours." A horrible thought ran through my head. "And no, you may not meet them. They can't know that you even exist." I glanced desperately at him.

He chuckled at me and my sudden nervousness. "No, I won't. Though I do think that it would be necessary later, when all this is finished…" There was a wicked gleam in his dark eyes. I could imagine what he was referring to.

"And what makes you so sure?" I raised my eyebrows challengingly.

"I just know. All it takes is time." He was very confident in himself now, his voice ringing with certainty.

So confident, in fact, that he leaned down and planted a soft, warm kiss on my cheek.

I jumped at his touch that sent a hot trail of tingles down my face. I could hear my heart pounding in my chest, pushing the blood through my veins faster and faster. Unfortunately, it all went straight to my face.

"See?" he whispered in my ear. "All it takes is time." His husky voice sounded more alluring than ever. It sent a shiver down my spine, even though the close proximity Jacob's scorching body made me very warm.

All of a sudden, I felt Jacob tense up next to me. Something was wrong.

Then I could hear it, too. Steps coming up the stairs, walking on the porch…

Why were they here? They never came home early. They could barely return on time.

"Go!" I hissed. "Hide under my bed. My room is the second door on the right."

In a flash that was comparable to Edward's vampire speed, he ran up the stairs and into hiding.

I heard the door swing open and I prepared myself for what was to come.

**There you go. A day off of school for me and an update for you. I am concerned about Jacob being OOC, so please tell me if you think he is. And of course, why and how I can make it better. He's hard to depict! Anyway, there's no days off until Thanksgiving, so I guess good-bye till then. Of course, I'll try to update sooner, but no guarantees. Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

**--Loie**


	23. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: Don't even go there…**

**Bella POV**

The fire burned to my very core. It enflamed my veins, nerves, every cell of my body. Was this like it was to die? To feel every inch of your body go into overdrive, to climax, right before it gave out?

I held onto Edward's hand for dear life. It was the only thing that kept me going. That Edward was waiting for me, surely I could keep going for just a few more hours, a few more minutes, a few more seconds…I counted down those three days as I lay in mine and Edward's room, burning.

By the end of the first twenty-four hours, the venom has seeped like molten lava through my body. Everything was in blinding pain. In a way, it was better. I was in pain all over—my mind couldn't concentrate on one part of my body—and I could only lay there to burn.

I tried to keep quiet, to not led Edward know what I was going through. He felt guilty enough by changing me, I couldn't bear to make him suffer any more. I held onto his hand, taking in all the love and support that our simple contact shared. But sometimes a cry escaped my lips and my body convulsed in agony. I could hear his sobs in the background, faint to my ears because they were ringing with the burning pain, and I wanted to cry with him. No, I couldn't, that would only make him worse. I had to be strong for him, but when I let my guard down, those times were the worst.

After what I thought was two days, the fire had reached its climax, burning into my core hotter than ever. I let out an involuntary scream as I writhed in agony. I thought I was going to split apart or explode. My body couldn't take it. I could feel my heart pounding faster and faster, until it was a loud hum. It pushed the venom coursing through me faster and faster, intensifying the pain. Yes, I knew I would die from this. I couldn't be strong enough to withstand the change. My poor Edward. What would he do when he saw that I was dead? There was no doubt in my mind that he would make a final visit to Volterra.

And then everything stopped. My heart, my breathing, every vital human emotion. The only thing I could hear was Edward's dry sobs. The fire that had terrorized me for the past three days was only a memory. A sharp, clear memory.

I slowly opened my eyes. I knew I was looking the ceiling, but it was different. I could see every imperfection in the wall and the color of what I thought was white paint.

I turned my head slowly towards Edward, and my breath caught. If it was even imaginable, he was even more beautiful through my new eyes. His tousled hair reflected all shades of brown and red and looked softer than ever. His skin was so perfectly smooth and white, I was surprised I had never noticed this before. His face was more glorious than ever, every angle of his structure arching perfectly to the next. His topaz eyes shone with a brilliance that I had never seen.

All this I noticed in a split second, for when I turned my head, I rustled the pillowcase just softly enough for a vampire to hear. He turned towards me immediately, his hands flying up to cup my cheeks. His fingers were smooth and…warm. I marveled at the sensation. He was the same temperature as me. Not only that, but my face didn't just conform to his stony hands. My cheeks held their own, altering the shape of his long, slender fingers.

"Bella…" he whispered. His voice rang clearer and smoother than I had thought possible; it was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard. His golden eyes smoldered more passionately than I had ever seen before. But maybe that was because of my heightened senses.

Edward crashed his lips down on mind, kissing me hungrily. This time he didn't hold back. Not at all. It was the most blissful feeling in the world. His mouth was so smooth and conformed to mine just as much as my lips shaped to his. And his sweet, intoxicating breath…it his me harder than when I was human, blowing me away. My hands tangled in his soft bronze hair to bring him closer. I felt his arms snake around my waist to press me to him. I sighed contently, realizing that about now I would be gasping for much-needed air. I smirked against his lips and plunged into another deep kiss.

Edward, to my disappointment, broke the kiss and settled me onto his lap, hugging me fiercely and burying his face in my hair. I squeezed his waist in return, inhaling deeply as I rested my head on his chest.

"I was so worried that I would lose you," he murmured.

I heard footsteps racing up the stairs and down the hall, stopping abruptly at the doorway.

"She woke up!" I heard a voice tinkle like bells. "She woke u and you didn't tell me!" The disappointment rang in her voice.

"Alice, I saw your vision," Edward sighed. "You already knew when she would wake."

"Yes, but you were just going to hide her and keep her all to your self." There was a knowing smile on her lips as I turned to face her. She was the same pixie-like Alice, but now, she seemed even more like a fairy. A fairy like the ones in the old stories, not the sweetened Disney versions.

Suddenly, everyone was in our room, exclaiming their relief and happiness that I was awake and now truly part of the family. Edward reluctantly released me so I could receive hugs from all the Cullens. Even Rosalie embraced me quickly, but I could still see the disappointment in her eyes.

I heard a low rumble coming from Edward and turned around to find him glaring at Rosalie. She glanced at me apologetically before swiftly walking out of the room. Emmett soon followed her.

Esme gave Edward a stern look. "Be patient with her, Edward. You know better than anyone that she is trying her best to accept Bella's decision."

"She could have hid it better," he growled, reaching for me to settled back protectively on his lap.

But for the first time, I didn't want to sit with him. I needed to settle things with Rosalie. If I was going to be in this family for the rest of eternity, I couldn't have any bitterness between my sister. I broke Edward's grip easily and leapt to my feet in the smoothest motion I had ever made in my life. I glanced back to find Edward's beautiful face frowning in confusion and disappointment while his golden eyes held all the sadness in the world.

I quickly bent down to kiss him on the cheek. "I'll be right back," I assured him. "I just need to talk to Rosalie."

Before he could protest, I walked out of the room. Well, it was more like running at human speed.

I heard the tinkering of metal echoing down the halls, so I decided to go to the garage.

"Wrench. And Emmett, it's way too high. I can barely reach," Rosalie's beautiful voice traveled effortlessly through the house and right to my hyper-sensitive ears.

Rosalie was under her red convertible, her long legs sticking out of the side. Emmett was being used as a jack, holding up the car with one arm. He turned to me as I stepped in the garage, his face contorted with worry. Apparently this wasn't the best time to talk.

"Whatever it is, Edward, I don't want to hear it right now," Rosalie warned.

"It's not Edward, Rosalie. It's Bella," I called back hesitantly, my new voice not failing to break at the end.

She wheeled out suddenly from the car, her eyes suspicious. "What do you want?"

"Just to talk," I replied meekly.

Emmett suddenly decided that it would be a good time to leave. He carefully set the car back on the ground before kissing Rosalie on the head and walking back to the house.

Great. There weren't any witnesses for my murder.

I opened my mouth, but she was faster. "Look, Bella. I'm never going to agree with your decision to willingly become a monster, but I'm trying to at least accept it. It's going to take me a while, but I don't plan on having a grudge over you." She sighed. "I suppose if we're going to live under the same roof for the rest of eternity, we don't have much of a choice." She gave me a small smile.

"I don't expect you to agree with me," I explained. "I just want to explain myself. You have to see that it was the only way for us to be truly together. I couldn't stay human. What would happen when I got old, and then die? I couldn't do that to Edward. Wouldn't you do anything to stay with Emmett?"

She hesitated, her perfect brow puckering in concentration. "Yes," she whispered. "I guess I would."

"That's all I ask you to understand, Rosalie. I need to be with Edward. I know you can comprehend what that is like. But I just don't want there to be any bad blood between us." I couldn't help but smile at the unintended joke.

She grinned back. "No, I guess not."

"So, um…truce?" I held out my hand.

She eyed it uncertainly before taking it in hers, moving it up and down once. "Truce. Now, I need to finish up here, so I suggest you leave and get Emmett back here. I'm not done with him." A smirk played across her lips, but I could sense that her patience with me was wearing thin. Even so, I felt as if I had gained some ground with Rosalie.

I took the hint and went back inside, finding Emmett sprawled across the sofa, watching a wrestling match. I shook my head. Typical Emmett.

"Emmett, Rosalie needs your help in the garage," I called.

He turned around and eyed me for a spit second. "Well, you seem to still be in one piece. Rose didn't bite your head off, huh?" He smirked mockingly.

"No," I sniffed.

He chuckled. "Edward's waiting for you. Wants to take you out." He smiled as if from some inside joke.

"Okay…"

I went upstairs and back to our room. Edward was waiting for me on the couch, in the same exact spot as when I left him. His eyes lit up as I walked in and sat on his lap.

"So…Emmett said you wanted to go somewhere," I prompted after a minute of silence.

Edward chuckled. "You could say that."

I frowned at him, confused about what he was implying, which only made him laugh harder.

"I'm taking you out hunting," he explained. "I'm sure you're going to be thirsty soon, if you're not already, and I wanted to make sure that no…accidents would happen."

I immediately understood what he meant. Also, I couldn't help but feel a burning in my throat that I could no longer ignore. I grimaced, knowing what would make the pain go away.

"That's what I thought," Edward murmured gravely. "Come on, let's go hunting." He took me by the hand and we raced out of the house and into the woods.

It was so exhilarating to run side by side with Edward. The wind rushed at my face, blowing a soft breeze. The branches and leaves licked at my sides, but I only felt soft brushes, like feathers. I raced him for tens of miles, even beating him. I remembered that he told me that I would be stronger than everyone for a while. That made me run even faster.

"Hey!" He yelled. "Where are you going?" I looked back to see his breathtaking crooked smile playing on his lips. It took almost all of my self-control to keep running and not turn around and attack him with kisses.

After four more minutes of running, I heard him call again. I slowed and he jogged up to meet me.

"We're fine here," he said. "I haven't been able to hear any human thoughts for fifty miles." He took a sniff of the air. "I don't smell them, either. But I do smell something else."

I could smell it, too. It was a sweet smell, but not appetizing. I certainly didn't want to drink it.

"I know, love. It's certainly not the best, but it's the only option," Edward responded to my scrunched-up face.

"Okay, but now what do I do?"

He shrugged. "Just let your instincts take over."

"What?" Easier said than done. He had almost one hundred years of practice.

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose, concentrating. "Concentrate on the burning in your throat. Think about how thirsty you are. Think about the blood pulsing through the deer and how it will take the burn away."

Oh, I could feel it. My back arched, my feet and hands digging into the soft earth. A soft growl ripped from my throat.

"I see you're concentrating," he chuckled. "Now, go after it."

With that, I pounced towards the deer that was grazing in a clearing half a mile away. I could hear its pulse throbbing in its veins in a mouthwatering beat. I ran silently through the trees and leapt at the unsuspecting creature and sank my teeth in its flesh. The blood flowed freely into my mouth, warm and sticky. It was not particularly appetizing, but the burn calmed to a low heat. I drank greedily.

I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand when I was done. I turned around and Edward was leaning against a tree, mouth open in astonishment.

"What?"

He shook his head. "I suppose that I'm used to you being so weak and helpless. And now here you are killing innocent animals." He threw me a crooked smirk.

"He had it coming," I said, trying to defend myself. "He didn't even move."

"That's because you didn't give him a chance, love," he laughed.

I pouted. He had a point.

A frown darkened Edward's face as he sighed. "Come on, we've got to get back to the house. Carlisle says that the sooner we prepare for the Volturi, the better."

A shudder ran down my spine. I had forgotten about the Volturi. I grimaced and took Edward's hand as we raced back home.

**OK I don't really have a day off. I'm sick, but now I can look at a computer screen without feeling dizzy. And I was in the writing mood. So, sorry this chapter was kind of boring and not very creative. But I did try to give my own spin on things. And as always, tell me what you think!**

**--Loie**


	24. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: Haven't you figured it out by now?**

**Jeri POV**

The door swung open and in walked my parents, cell phones in hand, of course. My guess was that Mother was talking with Helen Jacobsen, her best friend, and Dad was still making negotiations with one of his investors. Obviously, their minds weren't at home yet. So why bother showing up?

"Um…hi, mom," I greeted, desperately trying to keep my voice steady. I wasn't a good liar.

She waved an impatient hand at me and just kept walking, completely engrossed in her latest gossip like a teenager.

My father noticed my dejected reaction and held the phone away from his face to say "We're going to a party Ms. Jacobsen is hosting, Margie. Your mother's just going to change her clothes quickly."

I inwardly bristled. I did not like the nickname Margie. But somehow, Dad never got it. At least he didn't call me Marjorie like Mother always did.

I heard her climb up the stairs and…keep going down the hall. Shit. My parents' room was right next to the stairs, not down the hall.

"Marjorie, why is your door closed?" she hollered.

I felt the blood drain from my face. I did _not_ need anyone's attention drawn to my closed door and what was hiding behind it. I ran up the stairs and right in front of my mother before she could open it, holding the doorknob in a death grip.

"Y-you can't go in there, Mom," I said frantically while mentally searching for a lie that she would believe.

"And why not?" she asked suspiciously, raising her eyebrows and putting her hands on her round hips. "Are you hiding drugs in there?"

I sighed. My mother has been convinced for the past two years that I was "partaking in illegal activity" just because I was a teenager. Just because she did that stuff didn't mean that I did.

Suddenly, inspiration hit me. I put on my best nervous face—which wasn't hard—and tried to make my voice sound as desperate as possible. "Please, Mom, I bought the perfect birthday present for you while I was away and I wanted it to be a complete surprise. I left it right on my bed with my bags and I didn't want you to see until I give it to you." That would hold her over any day.

Sure enough, her hazel eyes gleamed with anticipation. "Oh, well, in that case, hide it well somewhere. Then you can leave your door open. You know how closed doors hide secrets and you know there are no secrets in this house."

I almost let out a snort of laughter. If only she knew…and it's not like knowing everything about your kid makes you a good parent, anyway.

And with a pat on my shoulder, she went into the bathroom to get ready. I couldn't help but sigh in relief. If she'd found out…I shuddered at the thought of the big ditch I'd have to climb out of.

And good thing I didn't tell Jacob to hide in the bathroom. I knew that hiding under my bed was a little cliché and I hated the fact that he was now in my bedroom, but look where Mother just went to! I would've definitely been in deep shit.

I waited for a few seconds to make sure she wasn't coming back out before I ripped open the door and dashed into my room, slamming it behind me.

Well, it was a good thing that I stopped Mother from coming in here. Jacob's feet were very plainly sticking out from under the bed. I scowled. Sure, my bed was only six feet long and he was a good eight inches taller, but still. There is such a thing as a fetal position that makes you smaller.

I walked up to the protruding feet and kicked them lightly. "The coast is clear."

He wormed his way out of the dust bunnies and sat down on top of the bed. Oh, no. He was not going to get comfortable here. Once my parents were gone, he would be back downstairs, on the couch, waiting for dinner to be ready so he could eat and go back to Edward's.

Jacob patted the spot next to him on the bed. I inwardly groaned, knowing that this would lead to nothing good. I gave into his wishes—his dark eyes glittered with so much anticipation I felt compelled—and sat next to him. I immediately pulled my legs up and crossed them, along with my arms over my chest. I did not want to look comfortable sitting on my bed with him. Ugh! And all the connotations it had! I was sure he was thinking of them, too.

"So…when are they leaving?" he asked in a low, husky voice.

"I'm guessing twenty minutes."

I felt him lean in and tickle my ear with his hot, woodsy breath. "So, what'll we do till then?"

That was my cue to get out. There was no way he was going to pull anything on me. I wasn't that stupid.

"_You_ are going to stay here, in the closet, so I can leave the door open. _I_ am going downstairs so I don't look even more suspicious. Not like they'd notice anyway." I muttered the last part to myself. And without further ado, I jumped off the bed and out of his reach.

Looking extremely disappointed, Jacob made his way over to the closet and hid among my disastrous mess of clothes. I was surprised that he fit.

I slowly opened the door and peeked down the hall before going back downstairs. Dad was sitting on the couch, watching T.V. I could hear Mother bustle around upstairs between my parents' room and the bathroom. I automatically held my breath, I was so scared she would get greedy and look for her nonexistent birthday present.

Fifteen minutes later, she came downstairs, fiddling with her earrings. She took one look at me and Dad sitting in the front room and almost blew a gasket. "Andrew, what are you doing sitting there? You know Helen does not approve of late guests. You don't even have your jacket!"

Dad shook his head impatiently. "Grace, it's eighty degrees outside. There's no need."

Mother gave an exasperated huff. Well, then, why are we wasting time talking? Let's go." She walked swiftly towards the door before pausing outside the threshold, remembering about her only child wh was going to be home alone…again. "Oh, and Marjorie, you're fine for dinner, right?"

"Yes."

"And remember to make a list of anyone who calls for me or your father."

"Yes."

And make sure you turn off everything and lock the doors when you go to bed."

"Yes."

"Alright. See you tomorrow night."

"Bye."

And I was home alone for the rest of the night…again. Not that I really minded it.

Well, not really alone. I almost forgot about Jacob, who was still hiding in my closet. I called him down when I saw my parents' car turn the corner and out of sight. He came into the kitchen in a leap and bound and nearly made me jump out of my skin.

He chuckled at my reaction as he pulled me into a big hug, as if this made up for him scaring me. "Sorry, you looked so funny."

I huffed and pushed him away and immediately—and to my horror—missed his warmth.

Dinner was ready a few minutes later. It was nothing nice—just the cut up sausage Mother suggested with green and red peppers and zucchini. I cooked some white rice on the side and threw together a quick fruit salad. I had a feeling that Jacob was not a light eater. He was a teenage boy, after all.

"What's on the agenda for tomorrow?" he asked nonchalantly after a few minutes of silent eating.

I had to think about that. "Um, tomorrow afternoon I have to register and get my books for school." I got up and looked for the letter I got a few weeks ago saying my designated time. "I'm going between one and three." I internally winced at the prospect tomorrow would bring. I felt so awkward going to school in the summer and seeing all my classmates for the first time in two months. Everyone was watching, analyzing how you've changed. It was like a test.

Thankfully, Jacob wasn't perceptive enough to sense my discomfort. In fact, he seemed almost pleased. He had a big grin on his face.

"What are you smiling about?"

"I just thought it would be interesting to see your school and meet your friends."

I almost choked on my food. "_What?!_ Oh, no! You are not coming with! Besides, it's for only students. No outsiders allowed." I gave him a smug grin as I remembered this.

But this didn't seem to faze him one bit. "No problem. I'll just register, too." He returned the smugness.

"You can't just register on a whim. You have to prove residency and all that other legal stuff." There was no way he was going to go to the same school as me.

"I'm living at the leech's house, aren't I?"

"Yeah, but—"

"Then that's it. Trust me, it'll be for the better." There was something in the twinkle in his eyes that I didn't like.

I had to get out of this. "But you live in La Push. What about your dad? You're going back in a few days when this is all over, anyway."

He hesitated with his answer and suddenly became very interested with his food. "We don't know how long the Volturi will stay." He peeked up at me.

But he was keeping something from me. I knew it. He wasn't sure of himself anymore. He actually looked vulnerable.

"And…" I prompted.

He sighed, knowing that I caught him. He stared right at me, his eyes burning with emotion. "I've imprinted on you, Jeri. Do you really know what that means? I can't be away from you for long. It makes me hurt, real bad." He shook his head. "You don't understand how hard it is for me to not hold you and never let go. It's practically impossible. And then to go back and leave you here? No way. I'm staying wherever you are."

Whoa. I was not expecting that. I felt my cheeks burn in shame. I didn't know it was that bad. I looked up at him to find his elbows on the table and his head in his huge hands. He was in so much pain.

In all my life, I never imagined that someone could love me like Jacob described. I thought that I would be just fine with being alone. I never fit in, anyway. Sure, I wanted to fall in love, especially when Edward told me that he found Bella, the true love of his life, but I figured that life wasn't meant for me. And I was pretty convinced about that, even almost okay with it.

But now, here was this guy who pretty much just pledged his life to me. Wow. But I knew that he was still Jacob Black. The back of my mind was screaming at me, ordering to stop having second thoughts and go back to hating him, but I couldn't.

Maybe he wasn't such a bad guy after all.

Before I had time to reconsider what I was doing, I got up out of my seat and went over to kneel beside him, wrapping my arms around his warm torso and resting my head against his side. Surprisingly, I didn't mind being there. I actually liked it. That was a change.

It took him a couple of seconds to respond, but I wasn't disappointed. He draped a long arm over my shoulders and squeezed me to his side while he rested his head in my hair. I heard him breathe in deeply, as if he was smelling me. Well, I had to admit that I was noticing his scent, too.

After a few minutes of just us in each other's arms, I decided to give him a deal. I supposed that I should cut him some slack after all.

"Jacob?"

"Hmm?"

"I was thinking…maybe I've been too hard on you. I mean, you haven't really been mean to me or anything, so maybe I could, you know, give you a chance. Let you try to win my heart or whatever you do when you imprint." I glanced up at him to make sure that he was following. I wasn't sure how much sense I made, but he seemed to understand. His face held the epitome of shock.

"But," I cautioned. Here was the catch. "I need to take things slow. I've never been involved in something like this." I chuckled. "Hell, I've never had a guy friend and I barely have any girl friends. So, no doing things that couples would do. Because we're not going out. I'm just giving you a chance, okay?"

He was positively glowing. I had never seen someone so happy before, which kind of scared me. I was too important to him. Oh, well. Better too important than not important enough.

We cleaned up after dinner and by then it was past ten. As if on cue, I yawned one I saw the time.

"You can go now," I told him. "I'm going to bed."

Jacob shook his head. "No, I'm waiting till your folks get back to make sure you're safe. What if the Volturi decide to make a pit stop here?"

I was about to argue, but the look on his face told me that he was set in his decision.

"Okay, but what about when they get back? How are you going to sneak out?"

"The back door," he replied simply.

"Alright…good-night, Jacob." I looked back at him warily, not sure that I could trust him in getting away unseen. He did hide under my bed with his feet sticking out for the whole world to see a few hours ago.

"Night, Jeri," he said, pulling me in to kiss me on the head. It was…sweet.

I went upstairs to my room and laid down, pulling the sheet up to my chin. I fell asleep quickly, knowing that Jacob was just downstairs looking out for me.

**Hey, sorry this is kind of late. But technically I still have 40 minutes before it is officially late! But sorry again, I had to go college visiting, ugh. It was a waste of time, I hated the college. But anyway, this is kind of another short chapter, I'll try to get some longer ones out. And I know the last one was not up to par, either, so hopefully this one made up for it! So, tell me if it did or didn't! (you get the hint) Also, I was planning on going further with this chapter, but the whole time thing again. So tell me if you want to see more of Jeri and Jacob first or if I should go back to Bella and Edward. And one more thing, this is the last chapter till around Christmas, sorry. Oireachtas (if you know what that means, you are super cool) literally takes over my whole Thanksgiving. Thanks for your understanding.**

**Oh, and you should all check out All Time Low, Every Avenue, and The Maine. They're super awesome and I'm going to see them this weekend, yipee!**

**--Loie**


	25. Chapter 24

**I am SOOO sorry for the ridiculously long wait! I really had neither the time or energy to update. Again, my greatest apologies. But on with the story!**

**Disclaimer: I don't want my two front teeth for Christmas, thanks. I want Twilight!**

**BPOV**

We ran back at breakneck speed. Well, breakneck for a human. It felt to me like an enjoyable jog back home, which was a little strange for me considering that during my human life I was never a runner. But now, it was refreshing.

Suddenly, something flew at me from behind, tackling me to the ground. I was not alarmed, though, sensing the sweet smell that came with the flying object. I tumbled to the ground, rolling right into an unlucky oak. I heard a thundering crack as the trunk snapped. I looked up into the topaz eyes of my attacker, who was hovering over me, his limbs forming a cage around me. He leaned into me, capturing my lips in a kiss, before picking me up and swinging me onto his back.

Edward sensed my confusion. I was perfectly capable of running. I was even faster than him.

"It felt wrong not having you riding on my back," he explained. "I missed your presence."

That comment just made my dead heart swell as gently squeezed his neck and kissed his jaw.

Edward raced through the trees, occasionally jumping into the branches, only to leap through the air and back down to the ground, chuckling the whole time. He was showing off, I knew it. I could even imagine that crooked smile that I loved so much spread across his face. I wondered why he never showed me all that he could do before, but then I remembered that I was not quite as…resilient when I was human.

He made a final leap across the stream and a few more bounds before we were right back in the yard. The Cullens were all there waiting for us. I was surprised, however, at what else was waiting, too.

Lined up next to them was every kind of cleaning tool imaginable: brooms, dustpans, vacuums, mops, washcloths, bathroom cleaner, dusting spray, laundry detergent, they had it all. I gulped, feeling a little intimidated by the collection.

"Wait, I thought that Carlisle said that we needed to prepare for the Volturi," I said. I was thinking more along the lines of learning how to defend myself against a vampire attack.

"Oh, but this is getting ready for the Volturi," Emmett whined. "We have to clean up all the human smell." He pinched his nose and waved his hand in the air for effect.

"Why? I'm already a vampire."

All eyes turned to Carlisle. He was the Volturi expert, after all. "You're a very young vampire, Bella. That fact will not make them too happy. Fortunately, you already act as if you're much older. But the strength of your human scent is an obvious indicator of the fact that you were changed only days before. They will not appreciate this, and it is not in our best interest to irritate them. Also, they would find out that another human has been staying here for the past few days."

Right. Jeri would automatically be on their hit-list if they found out about her. I remembered going to the Volturi to save Edward, only to be sentenced to death of either two fashions. It was a blurry memory, but not enough to keep a shiver from travelling down my spine. That couldn't happen to Jeri.

Esme broke the silence that was becoming exceedingly uncomfortable. "Alright, everyone, let's split up. Alice and Jasper will take the third floor, Emmett and Rose can do the second, Carlisle and I will clean the first, and Edward and Bella can take the basement. When you're done, come outside so we can fix the yard."

We all grabbed a set of cleaning devices and made our ways to our assigned floors. I had never been in the Cullens' basement before, and I had to admit that I was very curious as to what I would find down there. As ridiculous as it was, I kept thinking that I would find cobwebs and bones and who knew what else. But then I remembered that Esme would never allow such an unsanitary thing to happen in her house.

Edward linked his hand with mine and led me down the stairs where I saw…nothing exciting at all. Exact duplicates of the living and dining room furniture as well as copies of everyone's beds were scattered around the expansive area.

I looked up at Edward, raising my eyebrows in question.

There was uncertainty in his golden eyes and he grimaced back at me. I held back a giggle when I realized that Edward was embarrassed about all this.

He ran his fingers through his tousled bronze hair. "Well, sometimes…accidents happen and things don't survive the accidents."

I remembered Edward throwing the flatscreen over a year ago a year ago after taking the vote deciding my mortality. I was sure that the other things could be destroyed just as easily. It made sense to me then why Esme was always so strict about playing or fighting taking place outside. It must have been irritating to replace a whole room full of furniture. My eyes flickered to the bed and I realize why those were down there, too. I was suddenly grateful that I could no longer announce my embarrassment by blushing.

"So, I guess they haven't made vampire-proof furniture yet?" I teased, trying to lighten the mood.

He chuckled and squeezed my waist. "No, obviously not."

But something occurred to me. "Wait, why do we have to clean down here? I've never been down here before."

Edward shook his head, a smile playing on his perfect lips. "Bella, use your nose."

I inhaled deeply and immediately noticed a mouth-watering scent. It was so much more appetizing than the deer from an hour ago and it made my throat burn uncomfortably.

"You're right," I admitted. "But why is Jeri's scent here? And how come I couldn't tell before? Shouldn't I have gone crazy with the scent? It just feels painful."

Worry flooded his eyes. "Is it too much for you? We can trade floors with Alice and Jasper. They shouldn't mind."

"No, I'm okay," I told him, shaking my head.

"That's very odd, now that you mention it," he pondered. "You should have become extremely thirsty, but instead, you acted just like you were at least a decade old. Carlisle will be very interested."

"So are you saying that I have some kind of really good resistance against human blood?"

Edward ran a hand through his hair and shrugged. "I guess."

"Alright, but why is her scent so…potent down here? It's stronger here than in the rest of the house." I couldn't help but feel a little jealous. She had been somewhere in the Cullens' house that I hadn't, even though I had spent countless days here.

"This is where she stayed for the past week," he reminded me. "You've always stayed in my room when you've had 'sleepovers,' so there was no need for you to be down here." A gleam came into his eyes that confirmed the fact that he enjoyed me sleeping in his room as much as I did.

We got to work, stripping off the white slipcovers off the sofas and the bed sheets. Edward said we couldn't take any chances, even though Jeri had only used our extra bed.

I watched Edward out of the corner of my eye as he was reaching over one of the sofas. He was so beautiful and unsuspecting. Completely silent, I took a pillow from the spare bed and threw it, hitting my bronze-colored mark. He was sent tumbling over the arm and into the couch cushions face first. I burst into laughter, finding it hilarious to see him so disoriented. Usually that was my job.

Quick as a flash, Edward righted himself and pinned me on the bed, a playful growl escaping from his crooked smile. He leaned down to whisper in my ear, "Do you think that is funny, Mrs. Cullen?"

I was still shaking with laughter when I nodded. I really couldn't help myself. The image kept playing over and over in my mind.

Edward smiled dangerously and his eyes smoldered at me. He spread his arms across the bed and grabbed fistfuls of sheets while giving me a quick yet passionate kiss. Using his lightning-fast vampire speed, he took the other two corners and gathered all four up in his hands with me inside. He then proceeded to sling the Bella sack over his shoulder and started walking over to the other side of the basement where the washing machine and dryer were.

"Edward, what are you doing?" I asked as I squirmed and pretended to struggle against the cloth. I could have easily ripped it, but I decided to let Edward have his fun. I also didn't think that the rest of the Cullens would appreciate it if we broke more things than we cleaned.

He looked behind his shoulder just as I found an opening and poked my head out. I was met with the full force of his eyes and smile. If my heart was still alive, it would have definitely stopped.

"Well, since you insist on fooling around, I figured that I should clean everything down here, seeing that you won't do your part."

"Oh, and do I count as 'everything'?" I challenged as I raised my eyebrows.

"Yes."

I rolled my eyes, only for him to chuckle back at me.

Suddenly, we were being bombarded by slipcovers and pillowcases and blankets galore. A Loud, mocking voice came with it. "Stop messing around, you two, and get those in the wash!"

I looked over and there were all six of the other Cullens at the top of the stairs with big grins on their faces. I ducked my head back into my sheet confines in embarrassment. I would let Edward deal with this.

"None of you are any closer to being finished," he shot back. I guessed it paid sometimes to hear their complaints of cleaning the house.

"Hurry up, Edward. We wanted to finish everything before twilight so we could have enough time to go hunting before sunrise," Alice whined. I looked back up in confusion. Why did they need to go hunting? They went the day before the wedding.

Edward frowned for some reason. "Alright. We just have to wash the floor and then we're done."

"What was that for?" I asked when he gently set me down on the mountain of laundry. "They aren't thirsty already, are they?" Their eyes were all still a clear butterscotch.

Edward became very interested in separating the laundry by color. "It's just a precaution," he replied a little too quickly.

"For what?"

"Nothing. It's just in case."

"In case of what?" I had a feeling as to where this was going, but I wanted my fears to be confirmed.

Edward paid careful attention to pouring the exact amount of detergent and fabric softener into the load.

I waited until he started the washer before I got up, grabbed his chiseled face, and turned it towards me so I could look right at him. "Why do we need to take precautions against the Volturi, Edward?" When he didn't answer right away, I continued, "You have to tell me these things. I'm your wife now. I can handle whatever it is and there's no need to protect me."

Edward sat down with me and draped an arm around my shoulders. "It's nothing to worry about, Bella. We just want to be as strong as we can when the Volturi arrive. It will show them that we are not ones to start a fight with. And feeding as much as possible makes us stronger." He sighed and pulled me closer to him. "I just don't want to take any risks. Not when we've finally gotten our forever."

I hugged his waist and lightly kissed his cheek. "Don't worry. They'll come, see that I'm one of them, and leave," I assured him as I rested my head on his shoulder, my body fitting perfectly against his.

I hoped that it was as easy as I made it out to be. Judging from my last encounter with the Volturi, nothing was simple with them.

"I know," he whispered into my hair. He pulled me onto his lap and held me tight, as if he would never let me go. I just hugged him back, trying to convey all my reassurance in my embrace. We already went through our tough times. Wasn't it our turn for a happily ever after? I sure thought so, but Edward's fears were only watering my seeds of doubt.

But I wouldn't tell him that. It was my turn to be strong and supportive for him. So I sat with him in somber silence, rubbing circles into his back.

After a few minutes, I decided it was time to take his mind off things "Come on, let's finish up so we can join the others outside," I suggested. I felt a smile grow on my face. "Besides, we wouldn't want everyone to think that we were slacking off."

Edward let out a low chuckle as he stood up with me still in his arms. "Don't worry; they already think that, love."

We finished up cleaning the floors while the washer and dryer took care of the slipcovers, sheets, and blankets. After putting everything back into its place, we went outside to join the rest of the Cullens, who were all waiting for us, some more patiently than others. Rosalie was tapping a high heeled foot with her arms folded across her chest. She shot us an impatient glare when she noticed us come outside hand in hand.

"Finally," she sighed exasperatedly, not bothering to lower her voice, the message being sent to everyone.

"Come on, Rose," Emmett tried to reason with her. "We've only been waiting a couple of minutes and Alice told us when they'd be up."

"I know, but I wanted to work on my car before we went hunting," she said. "Whatever, the sooner we get this done with, the better. I'm sick of cleaning."

Esme, who had gone into the house while Rosalie complained, came back out with huge water guns in her hands.

"Esme, I thought we were going to clean the backyard," I said.

"We are, dear," she replied with a smile. "Water is a great way to dilute human scent. So everyone take one and spray everything," she ordered while taking the water hose in her hands. Attached to the end was a nozzle with different settings of water flow.

"Everything?" There was a wicked gleam in Emmett's eyes as he pointed his weapon at us.

"Emmett, don't you dare," warned Alice. "This is a brand new outfit."

"Aren't all your clothes brand new?" he retorted.

"Yeah, but this is my favorite!"

"Well…I guess you'll just have to go shopping!" Emmett shouted as he sprayed water at Alice. Luckily for her, she jumped out of the line of fire just in time.

Alice glared at him, her gun at the ready. "You almost got me!"

He laughed at her. "That was sort of the point."

She let out a shrill shriek and squirted an unsuspecting Emmett right in the face.

"Hey!" he yelled, a big grin on his dripping face as he aimed at Alice, but instead of getting her as she ran across the yard, he nailed the rest of us.

"Emmett!"

"Oh, it is so on!"

"You are going to pay for this!"

And then Rosalie, Jasper, and Edward were all on the prowl after him. I looked behind me to realize that Carlisle and Esme had joined in the fight. Everyone was under the cover of nearby trees and shrubs, no doubt, because I was the only one in the clearing. I felt like a sitting duck.

Suddenly I was bombarded by seven jets of water, one more powerful than the others, which I concluded was Esme's hose. I dashed into the trees, shielding my eyes from the constant spray of water.

"You guys are in trouble!" I screamed.

"What'cha gonna do about it, Bella?" Emmett chided back, being cowardly and staying well hidden in the trees.

They were all going to get it. Even Carlisle and Esme were not innocent. I felt seven distinct streams of water when they got me. I was going to get them all back, but how would I do that without being seen.

I cannot be seen, I cannot be seen, I thought repeatedly to myself as I silently crept out of my hiding spot. I let myself pay attention to every sound and every smell that I had ignored before. I could hear seven pairs of lungs inhale and exhale. I suppressed a giggle. It was almost too easy to pinpoint them out within the trees. The fools should have stopped breathing if they wanted a fighting chance.

Getting into the spirit of the game, I debated over my attack. I decided to get them all as fast as I could and catch them all unaware.

I could not be seen. I could not be seen. I sprang through the trees, hitting one, two, three, four, five, six, seven of my targets. They tried to fire back, but they weren't even close.

They all rushed back into the yard, spinning around to look for me. I bounded out of the woods after them, a silly grin spread across my face.

"Bella, where are you?" Edward called.

"Yeah, c'mon, Bella. You win, alright?"

I furrowed my brow. "I'm right here."

"Where?" Carlisle asked with worry laced in his voice.

"Right here next to Edward," I stated the obvious. I hadn't moved from his side.

They all turned their heads to me and jumped, clearly startled.

"Whoa, you came out of nowhere," said Jasper, completely shocked.

"What do you mean?"

"I was looking right where you were and then suddenly you appeared out of thin air," he explained.

That was weird. "But I was here the whole time you guys were," I muttered. "You really couldn't see me?"

Jasper just shook his head with bewilderment plastered on his face.

"And I saw absolutely nothing when I got squirted," added Alice. "I tried to look for the source, but I saw nothing. I could hear you, Bella, but I definitely couldn't see you."

The rest of the Cullens muttered their own affirmatives. Edward put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me to his side protectively.

Carlisle stepped up to me. "Bella, was thee anything that you thought right before you snuck up on us?"

I shook my head. "Nothing, really. Just that I couldn't be seen by you guys."

"Could you do that again?"

I thought it again as hard as I could. Edward jumped back away from me and all the Cullens gasped in surprise.

Carlisle regained his composure first. "Bella, did you move at all?"

"No. Still here."

Edward reached tentatively toward me and his fingertips traced my face, but not purposely. It was as if he was blind. "She's here," he concluded.

"Of course I am," I retorted, but couldn't stop my voice from trembling a little.

"Bella, love, look at yourself."

I looked down and shrieked. I saw nothing. Absolutely nothing. "What happened? Where am I?" I panicked. I wasn't where I should have been.

"You're right here, but…you're invisible," Carlisle stated. "We've found your talent."

I willed myself to become visible again and watched my body reappear.

"That's so awesome! Imagine what the Volturi would think when they see Bella in action!" Emmett exclaimed. "They wouldn't stand a chance!"

"There will be no need for Bella to use her power against the Volturi," Carlisle told him firmly. "If we can help it at all, there won't even be a negative word exchanged between us. They are just visiting."

I liked Carlisle's plan of action much better than Emmett's.

"Besides, we don't want them to become too envious of Bella's talent," Edward muttered darkly, his arm circling my waist tightly.

Carlisle nodded. "I agree."

Alice looked anxiously at the sky. The sun was rapidly dipping down into the trees, giving off all different shades of orange, pink, and purple. With my new eyes, they were more vibrant than I'd ever seen them. I could hear crickets chirping and the nocturnal animals prowling. Nighttime had come.

"Can we go now?" she pleaded. "I wanted to find a really nice coyote by the border tonight. You know that they're my favorite."

"Alright, everyone, let's go. Alice is right," Esme said with a glance to the sun as she followed everyone into the trees. She then turned back to me and Edward. "Are you sure you'll be fine by yourselves/"

"Yeah. We'll go in the morning. I want to make sure Bella gets used to hunting before we go at night. She might not do as well," he added with a chuckle.

"Hey, I can see perfectly well, thank you," I snapped.

"I know, love," he smiled into my hair.

Esme grinned at us and shook her head. "See you two in the morning!" And then she disappeared into the thick forest.

We walked back to the house, hand in hand. Edward opened the door for me, like the perfect gentleman he was, and scooped me into his arms to bring me into the living room.

"So, what do you want to do?" he whispered huskily in my ear, sending shivers down my spine. I would never get used to him.

I kissed his lips, hoping that would tell him my answer. It sure did.

As he brought me to the couch, I noticed something different about the room. On the mantle above the never-used fireplace was part of Jeri's wedding present. The framed cross-stitch leaned against the wall, giving anyone in the room a great view of what it read: Time passes, but love never dies. I thought it was so fitting for me and Edward. Surrounding the message was an intricate pattern of knot work.

"Did Esme put that up there?" I asked.

Edward looked to the frame and nodded. "Yes. I love it there, don't you?"

"Yeah," was all I could muster.

As we lay on the couch kissing and professing our love to one another, I realized something. No matter what would happen, our love would never die.

**OK, I'm not going to lie. This is by far my favorite chapter. But what did you guys think about it? I know that I don't deserve it (I should get coal instead) but a review would be a wonderful Christmas present, or whatever you guys celebrate. I will definately have at least 1 more chapter before school starts, maybe 2. Maybe. We'll have to see how confident I'm feeling about calculus. So keep on the lookout!**

**--Loie**


	26. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: I'm not making the big bucks, Steph is.**

**Jeri POV**

The sun poured into my room, not at all deterred by the curtains. I groaned as I pulled my sheets over my head, as if that did any good. Flimsy fabric wasn't good for anything. I made a mental note to go to the fabric store sometime soon to find some nice, thick material for some makeshift curtains.

I decided to bite the bullet and opened my eyes to find out that I blamed the curtains for nothing. They were wide open and so was the window. Cursing this situation under my breath for not letting me catch up on sleep, I swung my legs over and took a step forward, only to fall flat on my face.

This would have put me in an even fouler mood, but it actually set me on edge. For the thing that I had tripped over wasn't a thing.

It was a him.

Leaning against my wall, completely asleep, was Jacob Black.

Well, he wasn't asleep once I had fallen over his long legs. He looked around groggily until he spotted me with my legs on top of his. Then I guessed that he put two and two together and reached over to pick me up as if I weighed a lot less than reality and placed me on his lap.

And, to my horror, I liked being there. But a girl has to set her boundaries and keep them firm, so I relocated myself to sit cross-legged beside him. The righting of me was okay, it was the high concentration of physical contact when I was on his lap that exceeded the limits of us being acquaintances.

"Are you okay?"

I shugged. "I guess." But then I remembered that he was in my bedroom without my permission. The anger came back immediately. "What in the world are you doing here? You think it's just fine and dandy to come waltzing through my bedroom window and stay in my room? Last time I checked, acquaintances—even friends—don't do that."

He looked hurt and I instantly felt bad, but then his eyes flashed defensively at me. Apparently guilt was a finite emotion for him. "I came here, Marjorie, because I was worried. Yeah, I snuck in at around midnight to your room and stayed. But you know what? I did it to protect you. I tried to stay at the bloodsucker's place, but I kept seeing you cornered by the Volturi." He let out a frustrated groan and sprang to his feet and started pacing around the room. I stared at him wide-eyed.

After a few minutes, he started talking again, but with a quieter, more emotional voice. "I just wish you could understand, Jeri."

I was in no mood for romantic stuff coming out of his mouth. "If you ask me, breaking and entering a girl's house is no way to win her heart," I muttered under my breath.

Despite my efforts to say that quietly, Jacob still heard me. He whirled to face me and said, "Well, if trying to protect her won't do it, then I don't know what will."

I raised my eyebrows. "So you wanted to protect me by opening the window?" I just had to ask.

"Sure, sure, a piece of glass will keep the Volturi away much better than a werewolf—their most feared enemy—will," he snapped back sarcastically.

I knew that. I just couldn't help but wonder exactly how many vampires Jacob would be able to fend off before we were both doomed.

I really hoped that Edward and Bella would have everything under control over there. My face fell even more when I remembered that I wouldn't see them for months or even years. Sure, there would be letters and emails, but it wouldn't be the same.

But would everything be okay over there in five days?

Or was I worrying about the distant future when the next few days would decide all of our lives?

"Finally, a little emotion from you."

I looked up to find Jacob staring at me intently. As he studied my face, though, the satisfaction in his eyes grew to concern. I realized that I probably looked a little spooked, so I quickly plastered on my best indifferent face. I stared at the ground out of the corner of my eyes, hoping that would help.

Apparently it did, because the next thing I knew, Jacob saw kneeling down in front of me gently shaking my shoulders. "Jeri, don't you get it?"He sighed and seemed at a loss of what to say. I thought for a fleeting moment that he had at last given up. Good. This was not how he should persuade me to fall in love with him.

But what he did next sure did.

Jacob stared right at me, his big dark eyes penetrating right through my false pretenses. He whispered with more emotion than I had ever heard in his deep, husky voice, "Jeri, I love you."

Then he swiftly—but not forceful or rushed—closed the gap between us. I was immediately enveloped in his warm, woodsy scent and his lips against mine made my heart race and my nerves tingle. He was slow and gentle, but more passionate than I could ever imagine. His hands, positioned at my waist and neck, pulled me closer to him. They were so warm, even through my hair and shirt, and they were so gentle, despite their size.

And so I kissed him back.

I got up on my knees to shrink the height difference between us and snaked my arms around his neck. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, I thought it would explode. It was so strange, I never felt this way before.

But I liked it.

Eventually we broke apart, Jacob grinning smugly and me grinning shyly. I had to admit, I had no idea what to do next. I couldn't exactly get myself out of this slip-up.

He had won, and he knew it.

But I didn't care that he won. In my own way, I won, too.

"So…how about some breakfast?" I suggested.

His smile just grew.

I made us some banana chocolate chip waffles, but unfortunately, did not make enough. I had no idea that teenage boys could eat so much.

"It's 'cause I'm a werewolf," he explained in between shoveling food in his mouth.

I guessed I had a whole other species of horror story creatures to get used to. It was inevitable for m to get dragged into this world. I was a player now instead of a spectator. I supposed I just had to get used to it.

By the time we finished eating and I had gotten ready, it was past noon. Somehow, Jacob had managed to get all the right documentation to enroll at my school. He even had his transcript from his old school in La Push, which displayed the grades that would get him in here. Magnet schools were no easy establishments to enter.

He did tell me, though that Edward had something to do with it. That made sense to me. I didn't want to know how many times the Cullens had to do that.

We rode the bus in silence. I was way too nervous to attempt conversation, anyway. We were on our way to the institution that, for some reason, always put me on edge. I never meshed well with kids my age. Sure, some of them talked to me, but I could tell it was mostly out of pity. But they were always watching, scrutinizing each other. I felt like I was being probed by aliens whenever I was there. So, I stuck to my books, kept my head down and eyes on the floor, and endured each day as they came.

While we were walking the remaining blocks to school, Jacob noticed that something was wrong. By that time, my hands were shaking uncontrollably.

"Hey, Jeri? You okay?" He bent his head down to get a better look at me.

"I'm fine," I squeaked. "Let's just say that school isn't my favorite place."

He furrowed his brow, obviously not buying it. He put his arm around my shoulders, but I just shrugged it away. I did not want any more stares than I was going to get in the first place with Jacob by my side. He was six and a half feet tall and…quite handsome. His presence practically begged for attention.

Me, I preferred to stay invisible.

Right before we crossed the street, I grabbed his arm. "Look, there are a few things you need to know. Ground rules. First. Don't do any of that kind of stuff around here. You know, putting your arm around me and all."

He frowned, clearly hurt. I guessed I confused the poor guy considering I had kissed him this morning and now I was telling him to back off.

"It's just that things are…delicate around here. These kids aren't stupid. I just want to lay low for a while. I don't need any more rumors starting," I added under my breath.

He still looked at me confused. Didn't he understand?

"Trust me, it's for the best." I hugged his arm to try to reassure him.

We were about to cross since the walk sign was flashing, but I paused again. "Oh, and, from what I've heard from Edward and Bella and from what I've seen so far, you seem more of the outgoing type. So could you, erm, just follow my lead, just for the day?" I peeked up at him. He probably thought I was crazy.

But all Jacob did was shrug with a small smile playing on his lips and say, "Sure."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, let's go."

We jogged across the street since the sign was blinking angrily and headed right to our first hurdle: high school.

Of course, we got stares, Jacob for just being himself and me for walking next to him. I could see them talking in hushed tones, but I was thankful that I could not hear them. But I was sure Jacob could because he lifted his arm a few times as if to put it around my shoulders, but luckily remembered my request. I snuck an apologizing smile at him, only to find his face etched into a frown. I guessed that he heard exactly what people were whispering behind their hands.

Why did this school have to put all the juniors in the same time frame? I could have dealt with only a fourth of the kids being in my year.

While we were waiting in line for our ID pictures, one of the girls behind us tapped Jacob on the shoulder. We both turned around to see none other than Ali Schmidt staring up at Jacob, her clear blue eyes taking in his sight with an emotion I was sure was not PG rated. We had to be careful around this one. She was a genius, but liked to use her powers more for evil than good. I usually stayed away from her at all costs.

Her eyes flickered down to me, who was a good five inches shorter than her. "Oh, Marjorie," she greeted with false sweetness, "who's your friend?" She gave a dazzling white smile to Jacob.

That look made me so angry, I didn't know whether to haul Jacob away from her or to tell Ali that he was not available for her adolescent seduction, which really surprised me. I had been rejecting Jacob for the past few days and all of a sudden I was possessive of him.

I realized that I was jealous.

Luckily, that did not get conveyed through my response. "I, uh—well, he's—"

"I just moved down the street from Jeri and she'd said she'd show me around," Jacob explained for me. I was eternally grateful for that and secretly found his hand to give it a squeeze. Unfortunately, I had to quickly let go or else Ali would see.

Ali's thin eyebrows shot up, disappearing in her red bangs. "Really? Well, if there's anything you need…" She looked at him expectantly.

"Jacob."

"If there's anything you need, Jacob, don't hesitate to ask me." I did not like that look in her eyes. I couldn't take it anymore.

"I-I think I can handle it, Ali," I stammered. "I've been here just as long as you have." My voice got stronger with every word.

Ali just stared at me. She looked just as astonished as I felt. This was the first time I had ever truly stood up for myself. "God, Marjorie. I was just trying to be friendly," she defended a little too innocently. But then a wicked smirk stretched across her glossed lips. "But apparently you've been friendly enough for the whole school."

I felt my face turn red and hot. Next were the tears, I knew it. They were already pooling in my eyes. This was why I hated school. This was why I preferred to be invisible, why I never stood up, even though there were countless times that I wanted to.

Because it always ended up coming right back to hit me in the face two seconds later or take its sweet time to haunt me in the future. Either way was not pleasant.

I quickly turned around. I would not let Ali Schmidt see me cry, even if it was just a tear or two.

But Jacob wasn't done with her. "What the hell is wrong with you? Jeez, you need to find something better to do to waste your time." He didn't say it loudly, but I could hear the severity in his voice. Jacob could be quite the intimidating guy, I was sure.

We got through the endless line in silence. I didn't even care that Jake's warm arm was draped protectively over my shoulders. But that was not the place to talk, considering that Ali was still right behind us. But once we got through, he started walking us down a hallway that was in the opposite direction of the book line. After a while, he turned to me and gently held my face, giving me an intense stare.

"Are you okay? That was really mean for that girl to say all that."

I gave a humorless laugh. "It's a fact of life. Not everyone here is like that." They just had a tendency to avoid me like the plague, but I didn't tell him that.

"You didn't answer my question," he pointed out.

I pursed my lips nervously. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just have to get used to it again."

He scowled. "You shouldn't have to get used to it," he growled, but I knew that his harshness was not for me because his dark eyes, staring right into mine, held all the concern in the world.

I shrugged and gave him a smile. "Really, I'm fine. But thanks for asking," I assured him as I reached to give him a hug. I buried my face in his chest and let his embrace take away all of my worries.

On our way back, Jake looked down and gave me a smug smirk. "So, a little jealous back there, huh?"

The flames came back into my cheeks and I kept my eyes on the ground. "Well, I mean, I guess…maybe."

Jake chuckled and hugged me to his side.

"Jeri!"

I looked around to fine my one friend, Tara, waving at me nicely. She was over by the English station with a boy who was also waving. Under further inspection, I realized it was Noah. What was he doing? He had started to talk to Tara and a little to me last year during history and math, but I had figured that was through desperation since his best friend had moved away. He was nice, but I still thought it was just because he had no one to talk to besides us and the recently empty desk.

I could feel Jacob tense up as we approached them. Who was jealous now? I could just barely keep from throwing him a smug grin. Instead, I whispered, "Relax, they're both just friends."It helped a little but not much.

I made my introductions, saying that Jake was a new neighbor and friend. He politely shook both of their hands and kept a pleasant smile on his face. Noah, on the other hand, kept glancing warily at Jake and then at me. I felt a little sympathetic for him since Jake was quite a bit bigger than him.

We all made our way around the stations, collecting our books. And it was…easy, relaxed. One of them would tell a story or a joke, and I would laugh and say something back that was more than a few mumbles. Jake would even add something once in a while.

And the whole time, he would keep his hand on the small of my back, letting me know that he was there for me. That hand, with its strength, warmth, and tenderness—along with the person who owned it, of course—gave me the courage to finally come out of my shell.

And be myself.

**I hope you guys had an absolutely spectacular Christmas! Or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or whatever you celebrate! There are so many holidays I just can't keep track. (if you want to know why there are, ask) So this is you guys' belated Christmas present. I hope you liked it.**

**OK about Bella's talent...I honestly pretty much guessed the one in the book, so I made a new one. I thought that since no one can see into her mind, then the next step would be that no one can see her body. (did that one have any teenage boy connotations, Mar?) Get it, mind, body, and soul? And no one can see into her soul, either. (but they don't know that) Just ask if you're confused. Or you can criticize me about how lame and illogical it is. **

**I know that the school was a little over-the-top, but I was basing it on my experiences in middle school and my some of my friends' complaints of a small high school. I've got nothing against magnet schools and the people I've met there are friendly. **

**Oh, and just so you know, Noah is not a new character. Tara is, but not him. Go back to chapter 6 if you need a refresher.**

**--Loie**


	27. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: If I was Steph, I wouldn't be going through my personal hell otherwise known as senior year.**

**Bella POV**

The next day, the day before the Volturi were scheduled to arrive, Alice announced that a strong thunderstorm would hit Forks in the evening. Everyone's responses were that of relief, letting out sighs and oh-good's.

I stared at them all in confusion. "Why is that good?"

"Bella, we need to prepare for the Volturi in case…things get out of hand," Jasper explained. "And, if you remember, we're not quiet fighters, even in practice."

My memory flashed back to the baseball clearing. I couldn't remember much besides watching them move too fast for my slow, human eyes and the thunder-like boom that rang through whenever they collided. But then, just like smoke, the image escaped my mind.

But wait. Jasper's words repeated over and over in my head. _In case…things get out of hand. In case…things get out of hand._ What Edward said was correct. What I suspected was true. As much as I wanted to deny it, there was that chance that our meeting would become hostile. Why, I had no idea. The Volturi were not known for their clear logic when it came to their punishments. They may have a public reason, but there were ulterior motives. I learned that from Carlisle's stories and from my own experiences. Those memories were only too clear. And unfortunately, according to Carlisle, only the guard would check on us. There would be no sympathy and second chances from Aro this time.

I gulped. Our chances of getting out this easily just went down significantly. Jane, Demetri, Alec, and Felix were not a mellow bunch. And Alice said there would be more of the guard coming.

I was still at a loss of what could go wrong, but I wasn't about to ruin my chances at happily ever after because of wishful thinking.

"Yeah, I remember."

"Jazz, I don't know what all the fuss is about. Every time I see them, nothing happens. We meet them in the clearing, they see Bella as one of us, we talk for a while—though it isn't really pleasant for us—and they leave. They aren't planning anything." Alice gracefully collapsed onto the sofa and laid her head back on the arm.

"The future is not set in stone, Alice," Carlisle muttered darkly. "Surely you should know that more than anyone else."

Alice sighed. "Yes, but it's the same thing every day. It hasn't changed at all."

"So you would rather play baseball than teach Bella how to defend herself?" Edward challenged. There was no imagining the edge to his voice.

Everyone, including myself, looked over to Edward with confusion plain in their golden eyes, or red, in my case. Everyone, that is, except for Alice, who pursed her lips and stared at the floor in chagrin.

"Well," I spoke up in an attempt to restore peace, "couldn't we practice first and then play if we have time later?" I learned at an early age that compromise was the best policy.

She brightened up. "Okay. But I still say that you're worrying for nothing." A satisfied smirk spread across her lips. "And you know better than to bet against me."

Edward rolled his eyes. "I'm not willing to take chances. And no, you and Rose need to stay. Bella should get experience with someone small. I know Jane holds a personal vendetta over her." His topaz eyes grew hard and a frown pulled down at his lips.

Alice gave a pout. "Fine, but the Internet isn't the same. C'mon, Rose." Both girls dashed up the stairs and down the hall to Alice's room. I heard the whirring of a computer booting up and I finally understood: online shopping. I chuckled to myself and shook my head in disbelief.

Edward joined in, but he looked like he was hearing an inside joke. I raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "She threatened me with sabotaging my Volvo if they can't find the clothes Alice saw in her vision online."

Emmett laughed loudly. "Careful, Edward. Those girls mean it."

Edward's beautiful crooked smile twisted into a grimace. "I know," he sighed.

To pass the time, the remaining of us Cullens—I was a _Cullen_, I still marveled—engaged ourselves in an amazingly competitive game of steal rummy on the carpeted living room floor, courtesy of Emmett's challenge to the rest of us, which of course they couldn't turn down. We broke off into three teams: Esme and Carlisle, Emmett and Jasper, and Edward and I, since we only had one deck of cards. I sure picked the right partner. Granted, Jasper could sense the excitement or disappointment running through us with every move, but Edward could see the cards as they flashed through the cardholders' minds. HE would then proceed to whisper in my ear—just loud enough for me to hear without everyone else eavesdropping—about his findings, so as not to leave me out. What a gentleman. He would smile wickedly, making me giggle like a silly girl. The glares Emmett and Jasper would hurl at us because they knew very well what was going on would only make me laugh harder. Esme tried many times to chastise us, but we were too engrossed in our game to pay attention to her reproving looks.

"Dammit, Edward!" Emmett shouted as I stole his set of fives to add to my five of clubs and discarded, leaving me and Edward with an empty hand. "That's the third time in a row!"

"Just because we lost all of our cards first, doesn't mean that we won," Edward replied smoothly, arching an eyebrow, even though he knew that we won by a landslide.

Emmett glowered back at us. "You won and you know it," he growled. Then he glared right at me. "And you were right there with him. You're just as guilty." Emmett narrowed his eyes at me with a disgusted,betrayed look.

This sent Edward into fits of laughter. "It's a little hard…when…you yell…'Score! The jack of hearts!'" he replied in between chuckles.

"Boys," Esme warned. She sensed a fight and shot all four of us motherly glares. Sometimes I wondered what would happen if we didn't have Esme to break up—or at least postpone—the arguments. It wouldn't have been pretty.

Emmett gave us a smug smile, obviously planning his revenge. "Sorry, Esme. We're okay now. We'll just settle this at the clearing later, right Edward? Bella?" Both he and Jasper were smiling wickedly.

"Sure," I squeaked. Jasper was a very experienced fighter and Emmett was…Emmett. His bulging muscles seemed a lot more intimidating.

But then it was my turn to smirk. "I'm sure you'll have no problem attacking an invisible opponent, Emmett." I willed myself to not be seen for effect, and I disappeared.

Unfortunately, I didn't think to move after I became invisible. Emmett flailed his arms blindly in front of him, trying to come in contact with any part of me, and caught me right on the shoulders. Grinning triumphantly, he lifted me over his head, one hand holding my ankles and the other keeping my wrists behind my back. Edward began to protest, but Jasper promptly stopped him by pinning him to the ground and clamping a hand over his mouth. I tried to wriggle my way out of his grip, but my newborn super strength was fading fast. I did push Emmett almost to his limits, I could hear him breathing heavily and his arms were shaking, but he held strong.

After four minutes of struggling, I gave up and wiled myself to be seen again, at the same time relaxing. "Fine, you win," I sighed. "Now put me down."

Emmett let out a booming laugh as he released his hold and set me down next to Edward, who was released from Jasper's headlock. I immediately climbed into his lap so he would put his arms around me. I needed to feel secure again and his embrace was the only solution. Sure enough, I got what I wanted and sighed contently, closing my eyes and leaning back against his chest.

Snickers came from Emmett's and Jasper's direction.

"Don't criticize us," Edward said. "I know vey well that you do the same with Alice and Rosalie, especially those first few years." I could feel the muscles in Edward's neck contract as he made a face.

As if on cue, Alice came racing down the stairs and sat daintily in Jasper's lap before kissing him on the cheek. She turned to us with an excited beam and sang, "It's time!"

Edward raised his eyebrows at Jasper, waiting for a comeback. Alice had hit Edward's point home."

"Back then, though, you were the one teasing us," Jasper pointed out. "So I guess we're all hypocrites."

"Yes, we all are," Alice huffed impatiently. "Can we go now?"

"The sooner, the better," Emmett agreed. "I need my payback." He shot us a vengeful grin. I hoped he wouldn't be _too_ hard on me.

We picked up the cards—obeying Esme's wishes after she eyes us when we first headed for the door with them still spread on the carpet—and ran into the night. Edward caught up to me—him being the fastest and I still having my newborn strength—and scooped me into his arms, never missing a step, of course. Dark, rain-saturated thunderheads were rolling in and the first fat raindrops fell from the gray masses, but Edward dodged them and zigzagged through the trees, a playful smile curving his perfect mouth.

Too soon, we came to the baseball clearing, where there was no protection from the rain that fell harder with each passing second. A clap of thunder shook the earth and a forked lightning bolt illuminated my surroundings. Despite the fact that a thunderstorm could never hurt me, I flinched in Edward's arms, drawing myself closer to him.

He chuckled teasingly. "You do remember that lightning can't kill you, right love?" He asked with a playful sparkle in his dazzling topaz eyes.

I resisted the urge to stick out my tongue like a five year-old. I loosened my hold on Edward's neck and carefully lowered my feet to the ground. I may have been a vampire, but old, precautionary habits died hard. Who knew, I could have been the first clumsy vampire, considering how accident-prone I was as a human.

The rest of the Cullens came jogging into the clearing, their hair and clothes becoming soaked. I could see each raindrop fall onto them and become absorbed in the cotton—or silk, in Rosalie's and Alice's case. They did not look entirely pleased about their clothes getting ruined. Rose looked furious.

Jasper broke the silence. "Alright, Bella. Do you remember when we taught the wolves how to fight?"

I could feel Edward tense at the mention of the La Push pack. His arms wrapped around my waist suddenly quadrupled the strength of their hold.

"Not really," I confessed. Human memories were shady.

Jasper nodded. "That's to be expected. Oh well, it was worth a shot. Well, there are some strategies when…in combat." I shuddered. "First is to always be on the peripheral of your opponent. Dodging to the side is the best method." He motioned for me to come forward. "Now, Bella, I' going to try to attack you, but I want you to sidestep me. Watch for anything—my eyes, posture, footing—that might give me away. Are you ready?"

I had to consider this. Was I truly ready for someone to attack me? Was anyone, really? I almost smiled at the irony. Instead, I nodded slowly.

Right when I pulled my head back up after the first nod, Jasper lunged at me, letting out a low growl. I quickly jumped to the side to avoid the flash of blond hair and scars that was Jasper, only to be attacked again. He continued to try to defeat me, again and again, with no signs of stopping. I thought it would never end, that we were stuck in this stalemate for the rest of eternity. Vampires don't get tired.

It suddenly occurred to me that_ I_ had to be the one to stop_ him_ if we were ever going to go home. Drawing from a new surge of determination, I began to study every movement Jasper made. I was constantly trying to find a hole in his attack where I could get him facing the wrong way and pull him into a pin. I had to admit, he was an extremely skilled fighter.

Suddenly, Jasper's speed increased by at least ten times and there was this new resolve in his motions. Holy crow, he was holding back! I frantically tried to get out of the way, but by the time my feet touched the ground, I had to move again. The problem was that my body could keep up, but my mind was still not quite used to superhuman speed. I couldn't keep this up for much longer. I knew I was done for. It was only a matter of time before Jasper had me caught.

All that thinking of my ultimate defeat distracted me from the task at hand. Before I knew it, a big something tackled me from the left and pinned me to the ground. Game over.

"Crap. Were you really holding back the whole time until forty-five seconds ago?"

Jasper just sprang on his feet and gave me a guilty smile.

Edward was crouched down at my side in a flash, trying to comfort me, but I knew better. "Love, are you alright?" He unleashed all of his golden eyes' potential, making me forget everything that was going on. "I never thought that it would be this terrible to watch you go through that. I assumed it was all for the best for you to learn how to defend yourself. How wrong I was. I couldn't stand to see you like that. You don't have to do this, you know. If something goes wrong, I will be there to defend you. You don't need to put yourself through torture." He gave a humorless chuckle. "Or put _me_ through torture."

His eyes were burning with so much concern that I almost gave in and said yes. But I quickly came back to reality once I pried my eyes away from Edward's dazzling ones. I shook my head slowly. "No, Edward, I need to do this. I need to take care of myself for a change. And you need to be able to take care of _yourself_ without worrying about me. I can't be helpless for the rest of eternity." I laughed darkly. "Think of how much of a burden I would be."

Edward flashed a beautiful crooked smile and placed a sweet kiss on my forehead. "You'll never be a burden, love. Quite the opposite, in fact. It's a burden to spent time without you," he murmured.

Someone cleared their throat behind me. I whirled around to find all of the Cullens watching us with big smirks on their faces. Well, all except Rose, who was filing her nails with an extremely bored expression. I groaned and buried my face in the crook of Edward's neck. They were there the whole time, listening in on everything we said. It was too easy to lose myself in my own world with Edward in such close proximity. If I could have blushed, I would have been a deep crimson.

"I know you guys are newlyweds and all," Emmett's sonorous voice joked, "but could you save all the mushy stuff for when we're not around?"

We hesitantly rose to our feet and joined the rest of the group, who were till smiling. Wonderful. Another thing to hold over my head for a while.

Carlisle was the first to sober up. "That was spectacular, Bella. It amazes me how different you are from newborns." He chuckled to himself. "You didn't even let your instincts take over at all. You continue to astonish me. And, though you didn't get through Jasper at his best, that was by far the best defense I've seen from a young vampire. Don't you agree, Jasper?"

Jasper nodded. "That was nothing like I've ever seen. You _controlled_ yourself from attacking. Next time let your instincts out. You'll find it's much easer that way."

"Next time?" Edward asked incredulously.

"Yes, next time," I said. "I need more practice, obviously."

"But you don't need it. I'll protect you."

"And I told you that I need to be able to defend myself."

"But there's no need, Bella."

I sighed. "Edward, as much as your chivalrous instincts protest, you need to let me do this._ I_ need you to let me do this. I can't be defenseless-Bella-the-human anymore. I don't want to be that anymore." I knew I had hurt him, but I had no idea how to persuade him without being forceful. That was, after all, what I was trying to tell him I could be.

His piercing gaze turned soft and he glanced down at the muddy grass. "I know." He looked into my eyes, his topaz ones pleading. "But what if I told you that it's hard for me to adjust?"

"Then I'll give you a break and tell you to deal with it as best as you can?"

He gave a heartbreaking smile. "Thanks, love. But, and I'm deeply sorry, if you're going to continue, I cannot bear witness to it." He sucked in a deep, ragged breath. "You have no idea how hard it is for me to watch. I'm sorry, love."

I hugged him close, inhaling his intoxicatingly sweet scent. "It's okay. Where are you going?"

"I'm just going to run up to the boarder and back," Edward muttered into my hair. "I'll be back when you're done, and not a second later."He tapped his temple with a smirk. It got me to laugh again.

I reached up on my toes to kiss him good-bye. "See you later."

Edward kissed me chastely before sprinting into the woods.

Jasper broke me out of y empty trance that I always got when Edward left. "Okay, Bella. This time, let your instincts come out. Let yourself give over to them, but not completely. Do you understand?"

I furrowed my eyebrows and bit my lip considering this. How do you let your wild side show, but not take over. I'd always thought it was all-or-nothing, like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. But apparently I was wrong. "I'll try," I suggested.

And we picked up right where we left off. I was dodging Jasper as fast as I could, but this time, I tried to not think about it that much. Instead, I saw the animosity in Jasper's eyes, and the back of my mind—I was assuming this was my feral side—read it as one thing: threat. He wasn't Jasper, fellow Cullen and the love of Alice's life. He was my mortal enemy, and in order to survive this, I had to destroy him.

A snarl ripped through my throat and I dove at him, my teeth bared and arms stretched in front of me, fingers flexed and ready to rip, tear, and destroy. My eyes comprehended everything so much faster than before than before. I found what I was looking for. There!—his weight was too shifted on his left foot, which was too much in front of his right. I quickly tripped his right foot, which made him completely lose his balance for a fraction of a second. But that fraction was plenty of time for me. I barreled him over and a big clap of "thunder" rang out as we crashed t the ground. I had him pinned and I was just about to sink my teeth into his neck when I made eye contact with him.

This was Jasper. This wasn't an enemy. This was Jasper! I had almost hurt Jasper! How could that have happened? I got off him as fast as I could and backed away, shaking my head slowly. I couldn't get over it. I had almost killed my friend. What had I turned into? I was a monster, about to commit murder. I was sure that this was what Jasper meant by my "instincts." But I never thought once that it could be so…animalistic. There were urges—terrifying urges—that were so strong, it scared me to my impossible death. I had snapped myself out of it this time, but would I next time if I lost control? How did they do it? Could I ever be as strong? They said it would get easier in time, but would it ever become _easy?_ I finally understood what Edward meant about being a monster. I didn't want that.

I had what I wanted, though. I had my eternity with Edward, and that was worth everything. And Edward had managed to resist me, _la tua cantante_, for over a year. He knew how to not be a monster, the creature that was most feared in fairy tales.

I glanced at the Cullens, who were all staring at me with wide, fearful eyes. The men had the women protected behind them, who were peeking over their husbands' shoulders. They were afraid of me—plain, clumsy, weak Bell who couldn't harm a fly in her human life if she wanted to. I was the threat.

But I saw something else. It was concern. Carlisle slowly, cautiously stepped towards me. "Bella, it's fine. We all lose control sometimes, especially as newborns. You're doing so well, don't worry. Just calm down, everything's alright."

I heard rustles in the trees and I whirled around to face the oncoming source. Edward sprinted to me and gathered me in his arms. I immediately broke down and let him support all my weight since I had no willpower to hold myself together. I sobbed drily into his shoulder as he whispered reassurances that I would get through this, it was hard for everyone, and he would be there for me every step of the way.

I didn't know how long I stayed in his arms, but when I looked up, the sky was pitch-black. There was thunder in the distance and a flash of light far off.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me. Sorry, Jasper."

He waved it off. "It happens to all of us."

"And you'll have us to help you, Bella," Esme assured. She came up to give me a hug and pat my hand. "That's what families are for."

I tried to smile, but it might have been more of a grimace. "So, I guess that ends all lessons?"

A squeaky gasp came out of Alice. Her golden eyes were wide with terror. Edward snarled behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist like a vice.

"There's no time for that," she whispered.

**OK, can I just say that I don't deserve you guys? I'm really sorry, but stuff just decided to take away all my time and energy. You know how that is. I hoped you liked this one and it didn't seem to soap opera-y. And, yes, Alice had a vision of the Volturi. Chaos will ensue next chapter. Oh yeah! But if you're feeling generous, send me a review? Please?**

**--Loie**


	28. Chapter 27 kind of

**I am so sorry for the super long delay. Between school, badminton, and dance, there is no time nor energy for me to get this down. Not to mention I've really been stuck with this ending...I recently decided to completely change the rest of the story. Yeah, it's that bad. I will finish, though. So, this is not a full chapter, just something that I started a while ago. I thought I owe you guys something. Really, my deepest apologies. Also, I won't be updating till after APs, which is after May 12 for me. So when I do update the awesome fight chapter with the Volturi, I'll replace this with the chapter. Enjoy and please don't hate me!**

**Disclaimer: If, by now, you did not know that I am not Steph, that's just plain sad.**

**Bella POV**

"There's no time for that."

I could have sworn that I could feel the blood drain from my face if I hadn't known better. My dead heart stated doing back flips. I didn't think that this kind of reaction was possible considering my nonliving state, but maybe it was my mind thinking I was still human and playing tricks on me. Whatever it was, it was happening to the rest of the Cullens. I could practically smell the fear. Jasper looked in agony because of all the strong emotions emanating from all of us.

"What do you mean, Alice?" Esme murmured.

Alice's eyes were cloudy and faraway, entranced in her visions. She spoke softly and calmly. "They changed their minds. They…thought they would eat in Seattle, but decided to come here first. Demetri is leading them to the house, not here…I wonder why…it seems as if Jane is calling the shots…Oh! We have to move _now!_ They're going to breakin in and destroy everything if we're not there!" She gasped in terror. "They're going to see the wedding presents Jeri gave Edward and Bella…they're going to_ know_."

Without another word, we sprinted back home. Jasper had scooped up Alice, who was still in her vision-seeing state, narrating her haunting visions. "They're going to…got to Chicago to kill her…we'll try to stop them—NO! It can't! It won't happen!"

Edward snarled ferociously and pulled me tightly to his side. His arms formed an impenetrable, protective cage around me. I looked up to ask him what was wrong, if he saw Alice's vision, only to be silenced by the intense steel in his eyes. The rage was not directed at me, but it scared me just as much as if it was. I had only seen him so vampiric when we first encountered James at the meadow two years ago.

Although I was terrified, I could feel the same rage boiling inside me. How dare they interrupt my life, just as it was developing into my happily ever after?


	29. Loie's plea for forgiveness

**Hey guys,**

**This is kind of bad news. I know very well that it has been almost 6 months since I posted a real chapter and I told you all that I would post in May, but that is not reality. Of course, Life does not work the way we want it to. I just finished my last year in high school, so I've got lots of end-of-the-year stuff to do. Graduation to rehearse and attend, parties to go to, college orientations, and figuring out what in the world I'm supposed to do for this "job" that I got hired for. Yeah, I know that you don't want to hear my excuses, especially since they sound really lame even to me. **

**But honestly, I don't want to write. I know what needs to happen, it just needs to get written and somehow I can't bring myself to do it. Have no fear, though. I WILL finish this story. We're so close to the end! I just have to force myself to get it done. And right now I'm too frazzled to be able to do that. **

**So, let me calm down for a bit so I can think clearly and write a kick ass chapter for you guys. Because you all deserve it for sticking with this story. And let me tell you, a while back I read the earlier chapters and they are AWFUL. You guys have lots of patience and I thank you so much. **

**On a side note, and I know you guys will want to kill me when you read this, I've got some new stuff out there. Yes, I am a bad writer. But I get distracted very easily, so please don't be very angry. One is another one-shot on Twilight that I wrote for my friend's birthday. The other is a fic on Wicked Lovely that tells Donia's story of how she met Keenan. Read the book if you haven't. If you liked the Twilight Saga, this series is for you. The first book is called Wicked Lovely, by Melissa Marr. **

**I think that's it. I will replace the new chapter with this when it gets done. WHICH IT WILL.**

**Thanks again to all you lovely readers!**

**--Loie**


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